DriveClub PS Plus Edition PS4 PlayStation

In a period where PlayStation Plus has come under more criticism than ever before, DriveClub was supposed to be the sweetener that got everyone back on board. Sony revealed a cut down version of Evolution Studios’ exclusive PlayStation 4 racer at E3 2013, but the title’s delay meant that it was eventually replaced. However, after a year of waiting, the spruced up sampler was finally supposed to launch earlier this month – so where is it?

The drive-‘em-up’s online issues are already well documented, with the title spinning out on the starting grid when it deployed last week. The majority of those that purchased the full version have spent seven or so days playing offline, as the Runcorn-based developer has employed a ‘one in, one out’ policy for the title, preventing large numbers of people from being able to connect. It’s since patched the release – and its servers – several times to allow more and more players to get online.

At the time of typing, the game is almost where it should have been when it launched. Evolution Studios stresses that it’s updating its servers on an hour-by-hour basis, and has been adding more and more features back in over the past few days. In a post on its official Facebook page overnight, the company said that it’s planning to re-introduce Face-Offs shortly, which are the dynamic gameplay challenges that made up a chunk of the product’s pre-release marketing.

With that last piece of the puzzle almost in place, we can’t imagine that DriveClub: PS Plus Edition is too far away now. The firm’s priority has been to patch up the game for those who actually paid for it, which seems fair – but it’s still said that it’s “working hard” to get the complimentary title out “as soon as possible”. In the past, it’s stressed that it didn’t want to give the game away without all of its features working, as it wants people to experience the title as intended.

Of course, putting the product into the hands of potentially millions of new players will bring with it a whole new set of problems, so we imagine that the company will be extra diligent with its servers before committing to any kind of timeframe. As such, without being on the inside, it’s impossible for us to give a firm estimate for the free version. Given the rate that things have been progressing over the past few days, though, we’re still hopeful that it will arrive before the end of the month – unless there’s another disaster, of course.

[source facebook.com]