On a post on the official Playstation Blog, Shuhei Yoshida himself came on board to confirm that DriveClub is getting delayed to early 2014.
Yesterday, we were hearing rumors of this already, with evidence mounting from a few independent reliable sources. There was also a PS4 demo event where the game was scheduled to appear, but was since then removed.
Yoshida’s explanation for the delay is short and simple. Evolution Studios needs more time to deliver on their vision. In particular, he cites the game’s visuals and overall experience as areas for improvement the developer is working on. He reasserts his belief that the game is truly innovative and will exceed fan expectations, as high as they are.
He also addresses the situation with Instant Game Collection. DriveClub will still be free to Playstation Plus owners, and immediately available when it comes out, but for now, they have added a new game to IGC instead: Contrast, a puzzle platformer set in a film noir scenario and made by Compulsion Games. They will also give member a new “Open Weekend” Trial for Killzone: Shadow Fall’s multiplayer this coming December 28 to 29.
This is a small hit to the Playstation 4’s reputation, but for practical purposes, it should not hurt fans who have preordered and will be buying the game at launch at all. Really, fans still have Killzone, Knack, Call of Duty: Ghosts, Battlefield 4, and so many other games to look forward to.
Watch the E3 trailer for Driveclub, now coming next year, below.
Source: Playstation Blog