A couple of days ago, Sony confirmed that the PlayStation 4 exclusive racing game DRIVECLUB is going to be delisted soon, and servers will be going down in around one year. No official reason has been given for this decision, but we have now learned more about the matter thanks to the game's former director.
On his Twitter profile, Paul Rustchynsky confirmed that DRIVECLUB is indeed getting delisted due to licensing reasons, as many have speculated. Making a new deal was likely not feasible, as the cost is apparently high.
To be clear the game, like most racing games, it is being delisted for licensing reasons. It's standard practice across the industry for ~5yr deals, so buy it before it's gone forever.
Deals will vary game to game and with different manufacturers. It is possible to get longer deals or extend them, but the cost of licensing cars shouldn't be underestimated.
Licensing only prevents Sony from selling the game, so the decision to shut down servers is a business decision. Which is a shame, considering how the online component of the game is a big part of the experience.
Well the servers are a different matter, the sale of the item is what gets restricted after the agreed terms expire. Servers will just be a business decision.
DRIVECLUB will be delisted from the PlayStation Store on August 31st. The servers will go offline on March 31st, 2020.
About the author: Francesco De Meo has been covering video games and technology since 2012, starting his career at small outlets like Gamersyndrome and GeekSnack. After joining Wccftech gaming section in 2015, he quickly expanded his video gaming coverage with in-depth reporting, interviews with iconic industry figures such as Grasshopper Manufacture founder and No More Heroes creator Goichi "Suda51" Suda, Resident Evil series creator Shinji Mikami, Team NINJA's president and Nioh series director Fumihiko Yasuda, and Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama, reviews and on-the-ground coverage of major industry events such as Gamescom and E3. When he's not reporting or reviewing, Francesco can be found playing the genres he loves most, spending time with his six cats, reading, writing music, playing guitar and drumming for his progressive rock band.
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