The Driver TV series you forgot was happening isn't happening. Announced back in 2021 and initially due to arrive alongside a gamer-focused streaming service called Binge in 2022, the live action series has been scrapped along with the production company behind it.
Perhaps of greater significance is that the Driver series itself might not be dead, as a Ubisoft spokesperson said that they are "actively working on other exciting projects related to the franchise".
]]>Today was due to be the day when some older Ubisoft games would see their online services decommissioned, but the company is granting them a temporary reprieve. You now have until October 1st to cram in some multiplayer for several early Assassin’s Creeds, the original version of Far Cry 3, Driver: San Francisco and others. Ubisoft say they’ve been “exploring what is possible to reduce disruption” over the last month, hence the shuffled date for decommissioning.
]]>Ubisoft are switching off online services for several older singleplayer games, including Anno 2070, Far Cry 3, Prince Of Persia: The Forgotten Sands, and Splinter Cell: Blacklist. For several of those games, that means that as of September 1st, "the installation and access to DLC will be unavailable," according to an Ubisoft support page.
]]>Have You Played? is an endless stream of game retrospectives. One a day, every day of the year, perhaps for all time.
Driver: San Francisco [official site] should not be a good game. Its very premise is ludicrous, taking place entirely in the head of the main character, who is in a coma. This is third on the list of terrible plot devices after, “I have amnesia,” and, “I woke up and it was all a dream,” (which is basically the same as, “I am in a coma,” but with less potential for DRAMA).
]]>There are strange things going on with the buggy I’m driving. I’m in a field, somewhere in Ghost Recon: Wildlands’ digital Bolivia, and the vehicle is transforming while I drive it. The power, suspension, steering – everything’s changing. It’s not a bug. Next to me, the driving team at Ubisoft Reflections are fiddling with my poor ride using their vehicle editing tool, which lamentably doesn’t have a fancy name.
Reflections have been making driving games since 1995’s smashing Destruction Derby and are probably best known for the Driver series, the last of which was Driver: San Francisco, popping into existence all the way back in 2011. A dedicated driving team still exists at the studio, but now they're using their expertise in games like Watch Dogs 2 and the latest Tom Clancy romp.
]]>Ubisoft are issuing apologies after it seems their server migration isn't only taking down the games they warned it would. Reports of both Driver: San Francisco and Anno 2070 also not working properly are coming from gamers (cheers EG), as Ubisoft acknowledges more games than they'd planned are being affected. Once again it's impossible not to observe that if they hadn't tied single-player games to such draconian, useless and self-defeating DRM, none of this would be happening. To find out the details of why the games are down, along with others, read our earlier coverage here.
]]>This year has been unusually rich in the kind of game that I most enjoy: those that are open-ended, or provide a sandbox world for me to mess about in. We usually get a couple of these every year, but in 2011 we seem to have run into a minor bounty of the open stuff, which is good news for explorers and meanderers alike. I've gone into a bit more detail about why this pleases me below.
]]>I've spent the last few days behind the wheel of the delayed PC version of Reflections' rebooted car chase game Driver: San Francisco, sinking myself into its open-world singleplayer. I hope to look at multiplayer, which I hear good things about, soon, but meantime here's what I think of John Tanner's latest tale of planes, trains automobiles, automobiles and automobiles.
Ubisoft have just got in touch with us to say that as a consequence of the extremely negative reaction to the news that Driver: San Francisco, on top of not supporting wheels and being a month late on PC, would have their disgraceful "always on" DRM, that they have changed their mind about the latter. Hooray! I exclaimed. Until I read it more carefully.
"We've heard your feedback regarding the permanent internet connection requirement for Driver and have made the decision to no longer include it. So this means that Driver PC gamers will only need to sign in at game launch but can subsequently choose to play the game offline."
So, er, what has improved?
]]>Wow - it actually happened. Eurogamer confirms that Ubisoft have delayed the PC version of Driver: San Francisco. This is after explicitly stating they would not.
To put this in perspective: When Ubisoft announced that Driver: SF would carry their detested and grossly poorly-conceived DRM, a community manager at the @drivergame account helpfully tweeted,
"Bear in mind though that the PC version of DRVSF is released simultaneously to consoles."
Since then it's been confirmed that the PC version won't support wheel peripherals, and just Monday Ubisoft confirmed to us that there will be no PC demo. I was tempted to add in that post, "Now we just have to wait for the inevitable eleventh hour delay", but that would have been poor form. Turns out it would also have been correct.
]]>As part of what can now only be interpreted as Ubisoft's ongoing campaign to ensure Driver: San Francisco is the most hated PC game of all time, not only will it include their abhorrent 'always-on' DRM (meaning everyone from those without a reliable internet connection to those in the armed forces can't play it), but there's also going to be no demo! The consoles get their demo of the game tomorrow, but according to Ubisoft, "There are no current plans for a PC demo." When we asked why not we were bluntly told, "We have no information on any PC demo planned."
]]>At a certain point you have to wonder if Ubisoft is in the midst of some spectacular version of a Producers-style attempt to treat PC customers as abysmally as possible for some unknown goal. In the last couple of weeks they've bumped PC release dates on their last two games (Call Of Juarez and From Dust) just days before release - rather spitting in the eye of pre-order customers. And now they've now ensured that those looking forward to playing Driver: San Francisco can distract themselves with the knowledge that it will carry Ubisoft's loathed DRM that requires you always be online to play both single- and multiplayer.
]]>The forthcoming Driver game (subtitled "San Francisco", but could probably do with being called "Coma Wars"), has an excellently weird videogame premise: the protagonist is in a coma and, as a consequence of his horrible unconsciousness, can psychically take over any driver in the city. Yes, it's a game about the psychic danger of people in comas. A warning, some might say. Ubisoft are aware that this is super-bonkers, and have put out a new video to explain how the feature works. You can watch it at your leisure, below.
]]>I'm quite looking forward to Driver: San Francisco - partly because I do like to see a fallen series redeem itself, and partly because it puts me in mind of an aggressive Test Drive Unlimited. All driving, no on-foot stuff, trying to re-carve its own niche rather than put an unconvincing GTA costume.
That said, I can't entirely get on board with this scene-setting dev diary's repeated claims that protagonist Tanner and antagonist Jericho are "iconic, historic characters." Iconic how? Historic what-now? Surely they're just more gruff men in videogames' endless archive of gruff men? Can't say they're burned into my memory. Just give me the cars and the city and I'll be a happy little motorised sociopath.
]]>There hasn't been a decent Driver game since the original, twelve years ago. We know this. At this point a game breaking that curse would be like an oak tree sprouting from an active landfill, but maybe, MAYBE Driver: San Francisco will manage it anyway. Alec was pleasantly surprised during his hands on, and the new 'Shift' mechanic that lets you jump between cars like a ghost with ADD sounds excellently mad. Plus the E3 trailer below made me laugh more than any other trailer this week.
]]>Last week, I had bit of a play with Driver: San Francisco, the surprisingly weird comeback attempt for the veteran action-racing series. After a string of delays, it's due out September 2 this year, but here are some impressions, pictures and videos for you to eyeball in the meantime.
]]>RPS didn't got to E3. So E3 came to RPS, with Ubisoft showing their E3 demos in London yesterday. South London being slightly easier to reach than Los Angeles, I went along to have a look at what they have to offer us in the coming twelve months. Well, quite a bit. While ManiaPlanet will await a future date to look properly at it, there were four key PC-relevant games on show: Assassin's Creed Brotherhood, Driver: San Francisco, Ruse and - though it hasn't been announced for the PC, I'll be surprised if it's not - Ghost Recon: Future Soldier. What did I make of them? I tell you below, via the medium of telling.
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