Alas, poor Driveclub! I knew it…uh…not at all? This maybe was the biggest problem for the 2014 online-heavy racing game from Sony Interactive Entertainment, and as of March 31, 2020, marks the day the music dies and the Driveclub servers close forever. Sony announced the server closure over a year ago for both the online Driveclub servers as well as Driveclub Bikes. This means that Sony will remove the game listing and all DLC from PSN and an overwhelming majority of the game’s features are gone, baby gone. The single-player mode will still be available for play for anyone that has the game, but that seems sad and pathetic given the game’s touting of online connectivity and community togetherness that simply never came together.
The full notice Sony sent out a year ago in regards to the server closures states:
Online servers for Driveclub, Driveclub VR and Driveclub Bikes will shut down on 31st March 2020. All online features (including online multiplayer modes) will cease on that date. You will still be able to play and enjoy these games in single-player offline modes. However, the games have significant amounts of online gameplay, so from 31st March 2020, functionality will be affected in the following ways:
You will not be able to: Use your season pass online, represent your Club online in multiplayer events or tours, play online multiplayer and compete in challenges, create your own events, compete in leader boards, or share stats and player progress. You will be able to: Use your season pass on all single-player and offline modes, continue to play all game (DC, DC VR and DC Bikes) and DLC single-player functionality in offline mode, and earn trophies in single-player/offline mode.
Maybe Driveclub had too much ambition and not enough delivery. Driveclub even caught the attention of non-racing fans for its claims of always-on interactions (and as one of the earliest PS4 games) but never seemed to quite get off the starting blocks. Numerous server issues and connection troubles plagued the early days of the game enough that it drove players away and sent game outlet review scores in a downward spiral for what should have been a bright, new achievement for Sony.
So let’s pour one out for the deceased racer, and then call an Uber home because nobody should drink and Driveclub.
