The Crew revealed at Ubisoft E3 Show!

Say Hello to The Crew

After what has been a looooooonnnggg period of watching, snooping and what could even be bordering on stalking, we finally have the answer to what Ivory Tower (Ivory) has been working on since they formed in 2007!! The studio which was setup by a number of former Eden Games (closed by Atari March 2013) employees who had worked on the original 'Test Drive Unlimited' (TDU) and 'V-Rally' games has been - annoyingly! - quietly working on their game for a number of years. Being massive TDU fans we have eagerly been following and tracing anything that their name was attributed or associated to especially when LinkedIn profiles were mentioning things like "working on a AAA title" and "preproduction for a MMO racing game". Back in 2009 there was mention of the game coming to Xbox 360, PS3 and PC but it looks like plans have changed and they and Ubisoft have decided that The Crew is prime for the next-generation of PlayStation 4 and Xbox One along with the PC. Developed with the help of Ubisoft Reflections (Driver SF) the game looks very ambitious in what it is doing and we can't wait to watch it grow and show more of itself up to it's release.

The Crew is a massively-multiplayer online (MMO) game where you have believe it or not an environment that is a replica of the USA albeit a scaled down version, but still HUGE nonetheless. The persistent online nature of the game blurs the lines between single, multi and co-op play with players being surrounded by both real-world players and/or AI depending on how they are playing the game. Every mission and challenge is available in single or multiplayer, so say you are having trouble completing an event, invite your crew to help you and finally beat it. Cue; With a Little Help from My Friends! There are no lobbies or a need to stop either so inviting your friends to a free-roam driving session or to assist you is quick and easy with the real-time interface activated during gameplay.

Real-life cars such as the Chevrolet Camaro, Ford F150 pickup, RUF 3400K, Lamborghini Aventador and more can be modded and upgraded in different ways from a high-performance street racer to a capable off-roader. It was said that you could "strip" your car down and then "build" it up as you want but at this time it's not known whether this means pre-determined modifications and stages, or if it is as customisable as being able to build your own uniquely individual example.

There will also be a "companion app", these seem to be the next-gen thing with many games coming with them, allowing players to customise their games or interact with the game without actually being their to play it.

The Crew is due in 2014 for PS4, Xbox One and PC.