Summary
- Driveclub stood out with online Club aspect, strong physics engine, and arcade-influenced mechanics.
- Gran Turismo leans towards simulation, while Driveclub prioritizes entertainment and accessibility.
- Sony could revive Driveclub with a new studio, leveraging online racing expertise for a unique spin.
The racing game genre has ironically slowed in recent years. Though franchises like Need for Speed and Gran Turismo still get regular releases and are successful, they are slowly becoming more niche as time goes by. But the racing scene is still filled with potential, and Sony's once-exciting Driveclub could be the shot in the arm that it needs.
Although it suffers from the same issues of stagnation seen in other major racing franchises, Driveclub has a few key elements that help it stand out. The game, which adopts more of an arcade-influenced approach with its mechanics a la Need for Speed, sees players racing in various locations across the globe, much like its competition. However, the online Club aspect is what made it truly unique: players could form Clubs with others, and the collective effort of each Club member would influence progression, prestige, and ranking. This made the online side of the game compelling for many players, and its core gameplay was buttressed by a strong physics engine, engaging game modes, and industry-leading visuals that are still impressive today. Sadly, the game's servers were shut down in 2020, rendering online play impossible.
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Why PlayStation Should Revive Driveclub
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Right now, as for many years, Gran Turismo is PlayStation's leading racing franchise. There's a good reason for this: Gran Turismo consistently reaches and even surpasses a high-quality bar, offering impressive technical performance and visuals alongside engaging online and offline game modes. But Gran Turismo leans a bit further into the simulation end of the arcade-simulation continuum that racing games rest upon. It's certainly still accessible, but realism and depth are slightly favored over satisfying mechanics, controls, and physics.
By contrast, Driveclub is positioned further on the arcade end of the continuum. Though post-launch updates for Driveclub added more simulation-esque features and options, the physics and controls of the game prioritize entertainment and accessibility more than realism. In this way, Driveclub can be likened to Need for Speed, or even Forza Horizon, as it has some wiggle room for those looking for a driving simulation, while still putting fun and simple controls front and center. With PlayStation seemingly placing all of its racing eggs in the Gran Turismo basket, maybe it would be smart to diversify, bringing back its proprietary arcade racer and offering something new.
What a Modern Driveclub Could Look Like
Sony shut down Driveclub developer Evolution Studios back in 2016, so any potential revival of the IP would have to be without its involvement. This is obviously unfortunate as, despite its launch woes, Driveclub proved Evolution Studios as a more than capable developer, with the talent, experience, and creativity to helm a serious racing competitor.
But looking toward the future, Sony is certainly not wanting for first-party studios that could take over the Driveclub license. Perhaps the most obvious pool to draw from would be Polyphony Digital, the developers of Gran Turismo; Sony could perhaps splinter off a portion of that team to work on a new Driveclub, leveraging that studio's substantial experience with racing games for a unique spin on the genre. Given Polyphony's years of expertise with online racing games, it's not hard to see how its developers could revive Driveclub's online multiplayer ecosystem.
Whatever studio takes over the IP in this hypothetical scenario, it's fair to say that Driveclub deserves a second chance. It's always sad to see a game shut down before its time, but Driveclub's tragically short life is particularly disappointing given how promising it was. Sony ought to take another swing at it, strengthening its presence in the racing genre in the process.
Driveclub
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 68 /100 Critics Rec: 26%
- Released
- October 7, 2014
- ESRB
- t
- Developer(s)
- Evolution Studios
- Publisher(s)
- Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Franchise
- Driveclub
WHERE TO PLAY
Evolution Studios and Sony Computer Entertaiment bring you a racing video game for the PlayStation 4 that lets players compete in racing events all around the world. Driveclub promises to bring to life the heart and soul of car culture.
An authentic and immersive driving experience, Driveclub promises to let you feel the exhilaration of racing the most powerful and beautifully designed cars in the world. Share in high-speed solo racing, or join a racing Club to discover what Driveclub is all about.
Created specifically with the next-generation gamer in mind, Driveclub connects you and your friends, allowing you to share your experiences, send and receive challenges, and keep up to speed with your team’s performance. You can customize your car, club, and driver to help finish challenges or to just switch things up from a looks perspective.
Put your crew together or find some new friends and get racing!
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 4
- Genre(s)
- Racing
- OpenCritic Rating
- Fair
