The Ubisoft Ivory Tower team has announced that The Crew is being delisted from all online stores today, including Steam, and not only that, the online, open-world racer will no longer be playable starting April 2024.
Here’s the bad news from Ubisoft, which confirmed that the servers for the racer, originally launched for PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Windows PCs in December 2014, are being taken offline permanently next spring:
Today, The Crew 1, including all its editions, and virtual currency packs, will be delisted from all online stores. The game will remain playable until March 31st, 2024, for all The Crew 1 owners. After this date, the servers will be shut down, which means that the game will not be accessible anymore on any platform, including PC / Xbox 360 / Xbox One / PlayStation 4 / Amazon Luna and Ubisoft+.
Ubisoft goes on to explain why this is happening, blaming certain “constraints” for the demise of The Crew:
We understand this may be disappointing for players still enjoying the game, but it has become a necessity due to upcoming server infrastructure and licensing constraints. Decommissioning a game, and especially our first one, is not something we take lightly. Our goal remains to provide the best action driving gameplay experience for players and to deliver on it, we are continuing to provide new content and support for The Crew 2 and the recently launched The Crew Motorfest.
The Crew 2 is available on Steam and other platforms for $49.99, while the PC version of The Crew Motorfest, a third installment of the series that takes players to the Hawaiian island of O’ahu, appears to be available exclusively via Ubisoft and the Epic Games Store.
“Do everything on your own or with other players: join high-speed street races through the bustling city of Honolulu, test your off-road skills on the ashy slopes of a volcano, master the perfect curve on the tracks. When you’re ready to relax, kick back on the sunny beaches behind the wheel of your favorite supercar, or bring a buggy to explore the hidden paths of the luxurious rainforest,” reads a description for the game.
Here’s a trailer for The Crew Motorfest’s second season, which introduces a new playlist, new vehicles (e.g., Hoonigan Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX), and more.