The Crew announced by Ubisoft, coming early 2014 [update: trailers]
The Crew was present and correct at Ubisoft's E3 conference today. As expected, it's an open-world racer from Ubisoft Reflections and Ivory Tower, and it's coming early next year to the PS4, Xbox One, and PC.
Ubisoft says it's using next-gen hardware with The Crew to "change the status quo" of driving games. The Crew will feature an online persistent representation of the US, in which players infiltrate criminal organizations in individual cities. Ubisoft says the online persistent world "blurs the lines" between the game's single-player, multiplayer, and co-op.
Ubisoft showed off a demo featuring four players playing in four different US cities. One player was taking part in an illegal street race, while another was fighting through a 20-second trial, and the third was racing against a ghost. The final player called upon the first three to join him in a co-op mission in Miami, demonstrating how The Crew doesn't need a lobby for online multiplayer. The game will also have a companion 'second screen' app on iOS and Android.
Update: We've added the announcement trailer (above) and gameplay demo (below the break). A press release notes the game is also coming to PC, and we've updated the post as such.
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UBISOFT® STEERS GAMERS INTO NEXT-GEN WITH NEW OPEN WORLD DRIVING TITLE THE CREW
LOS ANGELES – June 10, 2013 – Today at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), Ubisoft revealed The Crew, a revolutionary online action-driving game developed exclusively for Xbox One®, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft, the PlayStation® 4 computer entertainment system and for PC, to be released early 2014.
Development of The Crew is being led by Ivory Tower, a team of racing game veterans and an exclusive partner to Ubisoft, in collaboration with several Ubisoft studios including Reflections Ltd., a Ubisoft studio, best known for its work on the Driver® franchise.
The Crew propels gamers on a reckless ride through a massive open world version of the United States of America, brimming with exciting challenges and diverse terrain - from city to suburb, county to county, state to state, coast to summit. The Crew redefines the level of freedom players experience in a driving game by offering a playground of unprecedented scope in which any driving fantasy can be realized: street, dirt, cross-country, circuit and more.
To bring that vision to life, The Crew leverages the capabilities of new hardware to connect players online like never before. The Crew's persistent online world is populated by other real players, meaning any other car is a potential rival or ally, and naturally fostering both competition and cooperation among players. This living world provides a tailored experience to a new generation of gamers, as each player is given the choice to play alone, or to team up on-the-go with friends to accomplish collective challenges.
Finally, players can continue to interact with The Crew game world on a second screen via the companion application that will be available soon for iOS® and Android™ devices. The Crew companion app will allow for peripheral, complementary experiences, providing a more intricate player experience overall.
"We want to give players a driving experience that goes way beyond the classic circuit-based racing games and really captures the boundless sense of freedom of driving across the U.S.," said, Julian Gerighty, creative director, Ubisoft. "Our teams are harnessing the power of next-generation platforms to make The Crew a challenging, immersive and non-stop world that can be shared by millions of players. This is a brand new driving game experience unlike anything that's come before it."
