''Driveclub'' is a
racing
In sport, racing is a competition of speed, in which competitors try to complete a given task in the shortest amount of time. Typically this involves traversing some distance, but it can be any other task involving speed to reach a specific goa ...
video game
Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...
developed by
Evolution Studios
Evolution Studios Ltd. was a British video game developer based in Runcorn, Cheshire. The company was founded in 1999 by Martin Kenwright and Ian Hetherington, following the purchase of their studio Digital Image Design's publisher Ocean Softwa ...
and published by
Sony Computer Entertainment
Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), formerly known as Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE), is a multinational video game and digital entertainment company wholly owned by multinational conglomerate Sony. The SIE Group is made up of two legal co ...
for
PlayStation 4
The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013 in ...
. It was announced during the PlayStation 4 press conference on 20 February 2013, and, after several delays, was released worldwide in October 2014.
''Driveclub'' is a racing game in which players compete in racing events around the world in a variety of different fashions. Players can compete in clubs with other players, earning a reputation as one of the best clubs, and levelling up to unlock better items. Another game mode is tour, essentially a campaign mode. Players can compete in standard races, as well as time trials, by drifting events, and championship tournaments, with a variety of routes located in places around the world. Players may customize their car, their club, or their driver, and may complete optional challenges during events. A weather system and day-night cycle is also included as
downloadable content
Downloadable content (DLC) is additional content created for an already released video game, distributed through the Internet by the game's publisher. It can either be added for no extra cost or it can be a form of video game monetization, enablin ...
.
''Driveclub'' was released to a fairly mixed critical reception. Critics praised the
photorealistic
Photorealism is a genre of art that encompasses painting, drawing and other graphic media, in which an artist studies a photograph and then attempts to reproduce the image as realistically as possible in another medium. Although the term can be ...
visuals, sound design, and the controls, but criticized the online playability, the inconsistent AI and a lack of gameplay variety. As of July 2015, the game has reached 2 million copies sold, becoming one of the
best-selling PlayStation 4 video games.
The online servers for ''Driveclub'' were shut down on 31 March 2020.
Gameplay
''Driveclub'' is a
racing game
Racing games are a video game genre in which the player participates in a racing competition. They may be based on anything from real-world racing leagues to fantastical settings. They are distributed along a spectrum between more realistic rac ...
in which players compete in races around the world in several different game modes. A major focus of the game is the club aspect. Players may join a club or create their own and will compete against other clubs to ultimately see whose club is the best. Clubs consist of up to six players. Players complete challenges together representing their club and earn fame and XP. The player earns fame by driving well and completing challenges. Fame determines the player's level as well as the club level. As the player levels up, they automatically unlock items, such as new vehicles, accolades, or colour schemes. Every team member's action contributes to the club's overall success.
The game's tracks and environments are inspired by actual places in diverse regions throughout the globe, such as
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
and
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. ''Driveclub'' features dynamic weather system such as rain and snowfall and a day-night cycle. Each rain drop has realistic behaviour.
There are three main game modes in ''Driveclub''; tour, single event and multiplayer. Tour is a campaign mode where single-player events set in various locations can be played using the allocated cars.
A set of objectives are present and can be tackled during the events. In the single event game mode, players choose what event they would like to play (drift, sprint, race or time trial) and have the freedom to select the location, weather and other options. The multiplayer game mode revolves around competition and co-operation with real life players. Players can complete challenges with social leaderboards, play with clubs, and play online races. There are a total of 50 cars available initially, as well as over 60 more cars that can be downloaded from the PlayStation Store for free or with a charge. The cars are split into five categories based on their in-game stats: hot hatch, sports, performance, super and hyper. Each car can be customized with paintjobs and stickers.
Development
![Gamescom 2014 (14761156639)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8c/Gamescom_2014_%2814761156639%29.jpg)
On 18 October 2013,
Sony Computer Entertainment
Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), formerly known as Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE), is a multinational video game and digital entertainment company wholly owned by multinational conglomerate Sony. The SIE Group is made up of two legal co ...
announced that ''Driveclub'' would be delayed until early 2014. In a statement posted on the PlayStation Blog, the company wrote that, "SCE Worldwide Studios and the team at Evolution Studios have made the difficult decision to delay the release of ''Driveclub'' and ''Driveclub'' PlayStation Plus Edition until early 2014." Sony Worldwide Studios boss Shuhei Yoshida stated: "''Driveclub'' will be a truly innovative, socially connected racing game, but the team requires more time in order to deliver on their vision – and I'm fully confident the game will surpass your expectations."
On 10 March 2014, PlayStation Software Product Development Head Scott Rohde mentioned that the title has met further delays with the following statement: "What I will say is that it all comes back to that fundamental principle, and that’s that we want to build great games, and we really don't want to release a game before it's ready." Rohde or any other Sony representative could not at the time give a more specific release date but hinted that it might take a while referring to that the game has "gone back to the drawing board".
Although Evolution Studios did experiment with Sony's
Project Morpheus
Project Morpheus was a NASA project that began in 2010 to develop a vertical takeoff and vertical landing (VTVL) test vehicle called the Morpheus Lander. It is intended to demonstrate a new nontoxic spacecraft propellant system (methane and ox ...
, the final game does not support
virtual reality
Virtual reality (VR) is a simulated experience that employs pose tracking and 3D near-eye displays to give the user an immersive feel of a virtual world. Applications of virtual reality include entertainment (particularly video games), educ ...
.
In April 2014, game director Paul Rustchynsky stated that the delay was caused by the game's "dynamic menu". This menu allows players to quickly navigate from menu to menu, join clubs, race, and perform many other activities within the game.
In early September 2014, Evolution Studios announced a
downloadable content
Downloadable content (DLC) is additional content created for an already released video game, distributed through the Internet by the game's publisher. It can either be added for no extra cost or it can be a form of video game monetization, enablin ...
(DLC) Season Pass. The pass introduces 11 new courses, 23 new events, and a new car every month until June 2015 (later extended to July 2015). The DLC is both paid, and free.
Cars in the game contain an average of 260,000 polygons. Before release, Evolution Studios had confirmed that ''Driveclub'' runs at resolution of 1080p and would be capped at 30 frames per second.
Post-release updates
''Driveclub'' launched in North America on 7 October 2014, Europe on 8 October 2014, and the United Kingdom on 10 October 2014. However, the game suffered from severe online issues at launch. Evolution Studios had released the first premium DLC packs (Ignition Expansion Pack and Photo-Finish Tour Pack) for free to affected players in November. PlayStation UK executive Fergal Gara apologized for the marred launch of the game.
On 8 December 2014, Sony released a weather patch which added dynamic weather to the game. The feature was delayed up to two months after launch to include all improvements to the weather that the developers wanted.
In January 2015, Evolution Studios released a new patch that brought several new features to the game, with the most significant one being the introduction of Japan. A total of five tracks were added, including Lake Shoji and Nakasendo.
On 1 April 2015, as a tribute to the
''MotorStorm'' racing game series, Evolution Studios released a free special DLC pack containing the Wombat Typhoon from the very game series.
On 22 March 2016, Evolution released their final DLC pack for the game, "Finish Line", which includes events named "Clocking Off" and "The Long Goodbye". On the same day, Sony announced that Evolution would be shut down. Subsequent updates for the game would be created by other Sony studios. These updates included the game's first city circuit, Old Town in Scotland (along with six route variations), and Hardcore handling physics, available via Patch 1.26 on 11 February 2016, and five more city circuits (one in each country of location), all of which first appeared in ''Driveclub VR'', added to the game via Patch 1.28 on 31 October 2016.
Sony Interactive Entertainment announced that online services for Driveclub would be terminated on 31 March 2020, meaning that players can no longer access the online features from that date onwards. The game, along with its DLC packs and standalone expansions, was removed from the
PlayStation Store
The PlayStation Store (PS Store) is a digital media store available to users of Sony's PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 game consoles via the PlayStation Network.
The store offers a range of downloadable content ...
on 29 August 2019.
PlayStation Plus Edition
''Driveclub: PlayStation Plus Edition'' was a version of the game that was available for free to PlayStation Plus subscribers. It came with all the game modes and online capabilities of the paid version, but had a limited number of cars and locations available to the player. The ''PlayStation Plus Edition'' was originally set to be released on the same date as the full version of ''Driveclub'', but was delayed to ease the load and traffic to the servers. On 31 October 2014, Sony announced that the ''PlayStation Plus Edition'' would be postponed until further notice. The Edition was released on 25 June 2015, but has since been removed as of 6 October 2015.
''Driveclub Bikes''
''Driveclub Bikes'' is a
standalone expansion
An expansion pack, expansion set, supplement, or simply expansion is an addition to an existing role-playing game, tabletop game, video game or collectible card game. These add-ons usually add new game areas, weapons, objects, characters, or a ...
for ''Driveclub'' and was released on 27 October 2015. The expansion focuses on "superbike racing", and features a new Tour, a new gameplay mode, new challenges and new events. Similar to the main game, the motorbike and the rider can be customized, and the player's result in each race changes the reputation of their club. The expansion initially contains 12 bikes, including the
KTM 1190 RC8
The KTM 1190 RC8 was a supersport bike made by KTM. The first generation 2008 model had a V-twin engine and was the Austrian manufacturer's first-ever Superbike design. The RC8 model was supplemented with RC8 R models one year later in 2009 and ...
R, and
Superbike World Championship
Superbike World Championship (also known as WorldSBK, SBK, World Superbike, WSB, or WSBK) is a silhouette-class road racing series based on heavily modified production motorcycles, also known as superbike racing.
The championship was founded i ...
winning bikes such as the
Yamaha YZF-R1
The Yamaha YZF-R1, or simply R1, is a -class sports motorcycle made by Yamaha. It was first released in 1998, undergoing significant updates in 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2015, 2018 and the
Honda CBR1000RR
The Honda CBR1000RR, marketed in some countries as the "Fireblade" (capitalized as FireBlade until the 2000s), is a liquid-cooled inline four-cylinder superbike, introduced by Honda in 2004 as the 7th generation of the CBR series of motorcycle ...
. There are also 8 bikes available through free update or paid DLC packs.
''Driveclub VR''
''Driveclub VR'' is a virtual reality version of the original PS4 exclusive game, ''Driveclub'', compatible with
PlayStation VR
The PlayStation VR (PS VR, known by its code name Project Morpheus during development) is a virtual reality headset developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, which was released in October 2016.
It is fully functional with the PlayStation 4 an ...
. It contains almost all the assets from the full game, with a total of 80 cars and 84 tracks, reworked for VR, with full 360 view of the interior and all views, while introducing five new city circuits. It was released on 13 October 2016 as one of
launch titles
This list includes terms used in video games and the video game industry, as well as slang used by players.
0–9
A
...
of
PlayStation VR
The PlayStation VR (PS VR, known by its code name Project Morpheus during development) is a virtual reality headset developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, which was released in October 2016.
It is fully functional with the PlayStation 4 an ...
for Japan. This game is essentially a standalone expansion, with its own separate save file and stats, but does not feature online leaderboards.
Soundtrack
The official soundtrack for the game was composed and produced by
Hybrid
Hybrid may refer to:
Science
* Hybrid (biology), an offspring resulting from cross-breeding
** Hybrid grape, grape varieties produced by cross-breeding two ''Vitis'' species
** Hybridity, the property of a hybrid plant which is a union of two dif ...
. The soundtrack was released on
iTunes
iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...
on 7 October 2014, and also includes remixes by
Elite Force,
The Qemists
The Qemists are an English electronic music group, hailing from Brighton, England. They are signed to Amazing Record Co., an independent record label, indie record label based in the UK. The band have a separate deal with Beat Records for dist ...
,
Noisia
Noisia (stylised as NOISIΛ; "VISION" turned upside down) was a Dutch electronic music trio consisting of members Nik Roos, Martijn van Sonderen and Thijs de Vlieger from Groningen, Netherlands. They produce a wide variety of music including dr ...
,
DJ Shadow
Joshua Paul Davis (born June 29, 1972), better known by his stage name DJ Shadow, is an American DJ, songwriter and record producer. His debut studio album, '' Endtroducing.....'' was released in 1996.
Biography Early years (1989–1995)
DJ Sha ...
,
Black Sun Empire
Black Sun Empire are a Dutch drum and bass group that formed in Utrecht, Netherlands in 1997 by producers Rene Verdult and brothers Micha and Milan Heyboer. The group has received much praise from critics, even being referred to as "the kings of ...
and
Fred V & Grafix
Fred V & Grafix were an English drum and bass duo made up of Frederick "Fred V" Vahrman (born 12 January 1990) and Joshua "Grafix" Jackson (born 14 June 1991). The duo was signed to Hospital Records and hailed from Devon, England. They have gu ...
.
The in-game music is turned off by default. This is done to place emphasis on the sound design of the cars.
Reception
Critical response
''Driveclub'' received "mixed or average" reviews from critics, according to review aggregator
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
.
The game gained a final overall score of 71 on the website.
Justin Towell from
GamesRadar
''GamesRadar+'' (formerly ''GamesRadar'') is an entertainment website for video game-related news, previews, and reviews. It is owned by Future plc. In late 2014, Future Publishing-owned sites ''Total Film'', '' SFX'', ''Edge'' and '' Computer ...
gave the game an 8/10, praising its challenge system, accessible handling and beginner-friendly gameplay, saying "it's a big deal for a modern racing game to have enough faith in its core handling to eschew driving assists." He criticized the weak damage and characterized crashes as unsatisfying. He also discouraged playing unconnected, adding "Never have I seen such a dull, lifeless and formulaic single-player mode transformed so spectacularly by online connectivity."
Dale North from
Destructoid
''Destructoid'' is a website that was founded as a video game-focused blog in March 2006 by Yanier Gonzalez, a Cuban-American cartoonist and author. Enthusiast Gaming acquired the website in 2017, and sold it to Gamurs Group in 2022.
History
' ...
gave the game a 7.5/10, praising its responsive, satisfying control and impressive sounds, as well as highly detailed environments, while criticizing the lack of replay value, overly aggressive
AI drivers in single-player, and visual bugs in the in-car views. He summarized the game as having "enough to offer over other new and upcoming racing alternatives out there."
Ludwig Kietzmann of
Joystiq
''Joystiq'' was a video gaming blog founded in June 2004 as part of the Weblogs, Inc. family of weblogs, now owned by AOL. It was AOL's primary video game blog, with sister blogs dealing with MMORPG gaming in general and the popular MMORPG ''W ...
also praised the environments and sound design. However, he also criticized the repeated attacks by AI cars, opining that they ruin the single-player experience, and the lack of difficulty options.
Luke Reilly of
IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
gave the game a 7.9/10, describing it as "the best-looking racing game ever seen on a console", but also criticized the AI drivers, and the difficult drifting when compared to the accessible handling. He summarized the game as "a modest, conventional arcade racer rather than the sprawling, open-world types we commonly see today".
John Robertson from ''
Computer and Video Games
''Computer and Video Games'' (also known as ''CVG'', ''Computer & Video Games'', ''C&VG'', ''Computer + Video Games'', or ''C+VG'') was a UK-based video game magazine, published in its original form between 1981 and 2004. Its offshoot website ...
'' gave the game an 8/10, also praising its graphics and the Clubs system, but criticizing the lack of variety in race types and challenges, as well as the arcade handling, stating it "sits at odds with the purity of available events".
GameSpot
''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. In addition ...
's Kevin VanOrd gave the game a 5/10. While praising the graphics, in particular the cars and tracks on offer, he criticized the soundtrack and the overall presentation of the game. calling the environments and surroundings "as lifeless as postcards".
Giant Bomb
''Giant Bomb'' is an American video game website and wiki that includes personality-driven gaming videos, commentary, news, and reviews, created by former ''GameSpot'' editors Jeff Gerstmann and Ryan Davis. The website was voted by ''Time'' mag ...
's Jeff Gerstmann gave the game a 2/5, praising its leaderboards, lighting and graphics, but criticizing the confusing menu, overly mechanical AI drivers, weirdly grippy car handling and lack of fun element. He characterised the game as "a weird throwback to the old, dark days of console driving games".
Post launch, Evolution Studios continued to support their game with 18 months of free content updates and an extensive DLC Season Pass and as a result GamesRadar re-reviewed the game, revising their score to 4.5/5. After the sudden closure of developer Evolution Studios on 22 March 2016,
GamesRadar
''GamesRadar+'' (formerly ''GamesRadar'') is an entertainment website for video game-related news, previews, and reviews. It is owned by Future plc. In late 2014, Future Publishing-owned sites ''Total Film'', '' SFX'', ''Edge'' and '' Computer ...
also published an article arguing that the studio was failed by 'public perception' after ''Driveclub''
's rocky launch, and lauded the game's current state, calling its post-release content updates "arguably the finest collection of post-release content gaming has ever seen," in particular praising the game's photo mode, and new wet weather and heat haze effects.
Following the game's final update on 31 October 2016, which added 15 new tracks and reversed variants from ''Driveclub VR'',
Eurogamer
''Eurogamer'' is a British video game journalism website launched in 1999 and owned by alongside formed company Gamer Network. Its editor-in-chief is Martin Robinson.
Since 2008, it is known for the formerly eponymous games trade fair EGX ...
and VideoGamer.com published retrospectives on the game, hailing its quality improvements post-release. Eurogamer called it "the PS4 launch disaster that became a racing great", whilst VideoGamer called it "an exhilarating, gorgeous, feature rich, and addictive racer that will likely be looked back on as one of this generation's finest games".
Sales
''Driveclub'' has sold over 2 million copies as of 31 July 2015.
Notes
References
External links
*
*
''Driveclub'' on PlayStation.com(archived)
{{Authority control
2014 video games
Inactive online games
Multiplayer and single-player video games
PlayStation 4 games
PlayStation 4-only games
PlayStation 4 Pro enhanced games
PlayStation VR games
Racing video games
Sony Interactive Entertainment games
Video games developed in the United Kingdom
Video games featuring protagonists of selectable gender
Video games set in Canada
Video games set in Chile
Video games set in India
Video games set in Japan
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Video games with downloadable content
Products and services discontinued in 2020
Evolution Studios games