Driveclub PS Plus Edition Held Back Temporarily
Driveclub was released exclusively for the PS4 yesterday, albeit to very mixed reviews ranging from 9.5/10 to 2/5. What was even worse were the servers at launch, with players finding difficulty to access PSN for online play on Day 1. The bad news seems to keep bearing down, as Eurogamer reports that the free version of Driveclub that comes to PlayStation Plus (PS Plus) subscribers has been delayed. The decision, as described by game director Paul “Rushy” Rustchynsky on the game’s Facebook page, was to ensure better service for paying customers.
"In order to help all DRIVECLUB players who have the game already, we’re temporarily holding back the PS Plus Edition and the My DRIVECLUB app to ease the load and traffic to the servers. This should give players a better chance of connecting to the game servers and, once the servers are operating well, we’ll be sure to let you know when the PS Plus Edition and My DRIVECLUB app will be available to download."
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Driveclub was one of the first games revealed at the PS4 reveal event in New York back in February 2013. Sony touted that the then-launch-title would be available for free in a feature-derivative version for PS Plus, helping to sell the idea that Sony’s subscription service would step it up into the next generation of gaming. For Sony to completely drop the ball like this, for an exclusive title that is supposed to sell the PS4 experience this holiday season, is completely unacceptable.
Remember, the PS3 did not necessitate the PS Plus subscription like the PS4 does for online play. Sony is effectively receiving roughly an extra $1.2 billion in annual income from the service, and that estimated figure can only grow as the userbase grows with it. We haven’t seen any indication that the money has gone to improving the PS4’s online services, and the fact that a lack of a PS Plus Edition of Driveclub at launch was created to ease server load is absolutely embarrassing in the year 2014. With almost an extra year to develop the game, for Sony to not have advertised features ready for Day 1 is inexcusable.
With no definitive timetable set in stone, who knows when the PS Plus Driveclub will be available to players. It’s hard for Rushy and Evolution Studios to be the face of this issue (one that extends beyond their reach), but with online functionalities creeping into more facets of game development these issues will continue to arise. That is, until Sony puts enough of their earned money back into solving their server problems.
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