SCEA boss: 'You can't effectively test' for games like Driveclub

Wondering why Driveclub, a game that has required several post-launch fixes, didn't receive more testing to make sure everything was running smoothly before it was pushed out the door? According to Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) President and CEO Shawn Layden, it's because games like Driveclub, which focus heavily on online communities, can't be effectively tested.

"In the development cycle, we try to do all things. In the development cycle, we try to test against every possibility. We have a [Quality Assurance] team, we have a QA plan. You do a beta test, you scope against that," Layden recently told IGN. "But now, in a connected world, you can't effectively test in your house or in your beta group what it means to have 50,000, 100,000, 200,000 users hit your service. And the guys [at the studio] are struggling with that. It's throwing up things they had not anticipated."

Layden noted that progress reports from developer Evolution Studios show continued improvement, and called the problems experienced so far a "hiccup." For their part, Evolution has been quick to apologize for Driveclub's issues, going so far as to offer free DLC and extending Season Passes.