There’s a rumour floating around that DriveClub could be joining Watch Dogs with a delay into 2014, started by TheSameCoin, who heard from an anonymous source – allegedly a developer within Sony – that DriveClub has been moved from the launch line-up.
TSC say “after yesterdays [sic] announcement about Watch Dog’s [sic] & The Crew slipping into 2014, this rumour was too much not to post” and while there’s no reason given for the delay, it did look “a little unfinished” when shown at events earlier this year. You know, earlier this year, when the game was a little unfinished.
They go on to discuss how “this isn’t the best bit of news” and it is also a hit to the PS+ service, so that means the stripped-down PS+ version has been delayed too, seemingly.
So, it doesn’t really seem as though there’s much to go on with this rumour, other than this bit of info that TSC claim to have been told. We’ve contacted Sony and will update this post accordingly as soon as we find out.
UPDATE 1:Â Despite initially dismissing this rumour, there has been more fuel added to the fire over on NeoGAF, with reliable poster famousmortimer saying that he’s heard the same from someone he trusts, and that he’s aware that he’ll get banned if he’s wrong, so is very confident in the claims.
If true, Sony are likely looking for another game to replace DriveClub in the first month of PS+, but we could see an official announcement – or a debunking – tomorrow at the earliest.
Furthermore, DriveClub’s design director Paul Rustchynsky can’t comment on the matter either, as his official comment on twitter is that he’s been out of office looking after his newborn baby.
UPDATE 2:Â Kotaku have now presented some interesting information which makes us even less sceptical of the delay – they’re saying that their own source says the story is true, and point out that DriveClub has been removed from the line-up of a Sony event showing off PS4 games due to a “scheduling conflict”. Uh oh.
Bilbo_bobbins
This is VERY poor form indeed from Sony. Very poor. I hope it’s not true, but it sounds like it is. That is 3 major games now delayed.
WESTHAMUTD1
Watchdogs and The Crew are ubisoft though and are both delayed for xbox one too so cant blame sony there!plus id rather a game delayed and looking its best than bringing out looking crap!alarm bells rang for drive club a while a go for me!
MikLSP
I’m actually partially hoping this is true seeing as I’ve been screwed over by GAME on my pre-order.
I switched to the KZ / DC bundle a while ago and am now being denied the option to select the much better official bundle because I already have their offer. A delay of this game would scupper that bundle.
Beyond this, it would of course be disappointing but I would always prefer a game to be later and of better standard. A poor release can tarnish its reputation indelibly.
gazzagb
Fingers crossed they’ve realised their mistake and are getting it to run at 60fps.
Bilbo_bobbins
That I hope is true. Although when we saw a few videos recently on TSA, alot of people noticed it looks great, but there were a load of jaggies and all sorts that looked unfinished. I guess this was always on the cards really with the lack of gameplay.
Such a shame, I was really looking forward to this on day 1.
The Von Braun
Whilst i can fully understand the frustration of those with PS4’s on pre-order, as a gamer i’d ask this:
What would you really prefer:Sony to release an unfinished version of the game, poorly optimised, buggy, features cut etc with hope that issues would be resolved over time via lengthy patches a la Gran Turismo and watch game get ripped to shreds at review (as you just know the press are going to leap on 1st wave of PS4 and Xbox One games, with a vengance) or…game gets delayed, team given time they need to optimise game, deliver the experience they want and also not feel under pressure to have the damn thing running at 60 FPS, just because many think if it ain’t 60 FPS, it ain’t next gen.?
Personally i’m sick of seeing games with a day 1 patch sat there and then awaiting further patches to fix issues the patch caused and then as you get into game, it becomes bloody clear game was rushed to market as last few levels feel cobbled together.
Personally i’d be happy for a few months delay on any game, if it meant i got a far higher quality product…
boeboe
Word up!
Bilbo_bobbins
Totally agree with this. I was saying this all the time on current gen.
RudeAwakening
Yeah I can understand your point and i agree to a certain point, but how long have the developers being working on the Watchdogs/DriveClub? It must be a couple of years, how is it possible that now less than two months away from launch they decided they can not fulfill there obligation for a launch title!
It makes no sense to me, if Guerilla can manage to make the launch date how is it that Ubisoft and Evolution can’t manage it.
boeboe
Give me a God damn update!
Caffeinator8711
You see though, The PS4 has a strong line-up regardless.
Killzone 4
Ghosts
Battlefield 4
assassins Creed 4
I believe this is hype by Xbox One fuelers. We’ll see.
Either way, I cant wait to get mine and play Killzone 4.
3shirts
That’s both of my launch titles no longer being launch titles then!
Beginning to wonder if I should just cancel my guaranteed launch day PS4. Better yet, maybe I should sell it on eBay and then buy one later.
The Von Braun
@Rudeawakening:
On the 1 hand, with PS4 being far easier to develop for than PS3, i too would have thought that with the time the game has been in development things would be a lot further along, but in fairness to developers a lot depends on just what the original ambition was, when planning the game.
It kinda reminds me of Metropolis Street Racer on Dreamcast (another flagship game for a then Next Gen console, beset by delay’s), which suffered several false starts and a total rewrite before it appeared.
MSR was always planned to be a ‘street racer’, but Sega wanted a Ferrai licence (game was at that point known as Crimson) but could’nt get the licence, so idea was scrapped, instead game was to be a Mini based racer, kinda The Italian Job, with you racing around various cities, but idea canned as it did’nt have the global appeal Sega wanted.
Even when work started on game proper, it was a painful process-at 1st they built fake cities, with real landmarks in them, decided it looked crap, scrapped that, more work and time down the pan.After the 1st E3 demo, in which game took flak for poor camera and handling, lead coder up and quit, so management had a reshuffle, Sega gave team more time to get game done and coding started from scratch.
Resulting game was very different from the E3 demo in 1999 and much better for it.
Hopefully the delay here will result in a superior game, if it appears late and it’s still rough, buggy etc then i’ll have little sympathy, but developers do need extra time judging by inital impressions.