Driveclub hasn’t had an easy time of it, as games go. Originally slated as a PlayStation 4 launch title, the game was delayed until 2014. It finally arrived in October 2014, only to be plagued by server issues that left many unable to play the game at all. In order to lighten the load on the already struggling servers, the PlayStation Plus of the game was delayed indefinitely.
This led many to speculate over whether the scaled-down PS Plus edition of Driveclub would be released at all. After months passed without a single word on the progress of the new edition, many gave up hope.
Now it seems that at long last, the game might nearly be upon us. Responding to a fan on Twitter, Driveclub director Paul Rustchynsky tweeted that the PS Plus edition is “in the final stages of development now.” While fans who have been burned before might be wary about getting their hopes up, it seems that this time the game might actually be on the way.
While this free (for PlayStation Plus members, anyway) version of Driveclub is more than a demo, it only represents a slice of what the full game offers. Players will have access to just 10 cars, and will only be able to race in one country, which offers five tracks.
After such a long delay, this raises the question of who this edition of the game is really for. While it would be a PR disaster if Sony hadn’t made good on its promise of a free edition of the game for PlayStation Plus members, after more than half a year it seems likely that most people seriously interested in Driveclub have either bought the main game or just given up.
With the word that the PS Plus edition is nearing completion, it seems likely that Sony will at least give it a brief mention at their PlayStation E3 Experience press conference on Monday, but for now we’ll just have to wait and see.
