Ubisoft opened up its The Crew Showcase on Tuesday with an important update about the future of the racing franchise. In response to fan outcry after The Crew 1 was rendered unplayable in March, the company promised to keep the current titles playable, even in a future where they get taken offline.
“We want to acknowledge that some of you voiced concern about the access to The Crew games,” Stéphane Beleym, managing studio director on The Crew, said during the presentation. “Today, we want to express our commitment to the future of The Crew 2 and The Crew Motorfest.”
“We are currently exploring different solutions, and can confirm an offline mode, to ensure long-term access to both titles,” Beley continued, adding that Ubisoft will have more information in the coming months.
Ubisoft Ivory Tower announced that The Crew 1 would be delisted in December. Not only was the 2014 game removed from online stores, but its servers were taken offline on March 31. The company claimed that the decision was due to “upcoming server infrastructure and licensing constraints.” Since the game was online-only, the game basically became unplayable. A group of modders are working to get the game back online and preserved with The Crew Revival, with one telling Eurogamer that the community “should absolutely not let Ubisoft keep getting away with such horrendous practices; otherwise, it will just keep happening to more and more games, including The Crew’s sequels.”
While the developer hasn’t confirmed much just yet, the inclusion of an offline mode for The Crew 2 and The Crew Motorfest is welcome news in the event they’re also delisted. In related news, Ubisoft also announced that The Crew 2 is on sale for just $1 until September 24.
Most of the showcase was dedicated to The Crew Motorfest Year 2, a gigantic update for the open-world racing game. It’ll have three seasons, with the first, season 5, bringing Maui to the game for free on November 6. Ivory Tower says it’s 50% the size of O’ahu, and players will be able to easily move between the two islands. The game will also be getting new PvE content that’ll be included as part of the Year 2 pass and be accessible to those with the Gold and Ultimate editions. And, per racing game tradition, it’ll also be getting more vehicles.
