As we said a little while ago, we will try to keep you informed with regards to reviews being delayed past the point of a game's launch due to embargos. Well, this one isn't quite about embargos, but it's close enough.
Ubisoft beat us to it this time with regards to The Crew. The game launches on December 2nd, and review copies and codes will be made available to press around about that time. However, Ubisoft feel that the game is best played alongside thousands of online players, so they've posted the following on their blog:-
You want to read how the pros feel after their carefully considered road tests of The Crew. While we totally understand (hey, we read reviews, too!), The Crew was built from the beginning to be a living playground full of driving fans, so it’s only possible to assess our game in its entirety with other real players in the world. And by other, we mean thousands and thousands and thousands of players – something that can’t be simulated with a handful of devs playing alongside the press.
For this very reason, The Crew will be available to media to begin their reviews when the game launches on December 2. There will be absolutely no embargo on any type of coverage once the game is available for sale.
You can check out the full post over at the Ubisoft blog.
We've been told that our review copy of the game will arrive the day before launch, and that "we estimate that it will take roughly 30-40 hours to properly experience the game and recommend this amount of play time for review."
Read into all of that what you will, but if you're brave enough to preorder or purchase on day one before you've been able to read a review of the game from your favoured outlet, we wish you well. If your favoured outlet is us, then we love you, too. The game goes into open beta today and that runs until the 27th, so you can give it a spin for free.
We'll bring you a review just as soon as we've had a chance to play the game for as much time as we feel is necessary.
[source blog.ubi.com]
Comments 14
Well stylon confirms that he won't be pre-ordering this game until he's read some reviews, especially after Unity.
Besides I've already got the awesome FH2 so I'm not desperate for another open world racer anyway.
"There will be absolutely no embargo on any type of coverage once the game is available for sale."
Isn't like this for ANY game?
@sinalefa Not always, unfortunately. Assassin's Creed Unity had a review embargo on it until it had been on sale for 9 hours.
@SuperKMx
I forgot about that. I guess that is why they said that, since AC is from Ubisoft as well.
So in other words, ubisoft are saying we're doing exactly the dame as ac unity but are dressing it up so as to attempt to avoid another brown stuff storm on the interwebs...ubisoft really are trying to wrestle the award for questionable publisher practices from ea of late.
Good lord ubisoft must be soft in the head. Its quite sinple really. Release a timed demo before launch and voilà populated world for reviewers. I smell a rat , nice try ubisoft but no pre orders any more for this guy.
So I guess they don't like people preordering their games I am guessing.
Wow, this fall from grace has been fast and stunning. As recently as the summer I still held Ubisoft in high regard despite being slightly disappointed in Watch_Dogs. But since Sept. it has just been stupid a$$ decision after stupid a$$ decision.
@Gamer83 That's how it was for me with Ubisoft when Wii U launched. Ubisoft had games available at launch with DLC, and they all played and ran fine, and they had the exclusive Rayman Legends set for February release, perfect timing to pick up momentum for the system.
Ubisoft could do no wrong in my eyes.
Then, it all fell apart. Rayman Legends not only goes multiplat, but it's delayed until fall even though it was finished product. Splinter Cell Blacklist omits local co-op, despite that being one of the biggest draws due to asymmetrical play using the gamepad. Watch Dogs is delayed until 2014. Watch Dogs is delayed again until May, but only for other system- for Wii U it's indefinitely. Child of Light is ported to Vita, but not 3DS. Valiant Hearts skips Wii U, despite Child of Light topping the eShop 4 weeks running. Ubisoft claims they won't port Assassin's Creed to Wii U due to sales (AC3 sold around 250k), then they state Just Dance is what Wii U owners want according to sales (Just Dance 2013 sold around 250k, the same as AC3... total facepalm). To top it all off, Ubisoft brings Tetris Ultimate to every console except Wii U. I thought that's the kind of games they said does well on the system...?
So it's no wonder their shenanigans continue on Xbox One and PS4. I thought I'd be treated as top priority on the third-party consoles, considering that's where their games sell truckloads, but apparently they like pissing off all of their fans. Case in point: bought Trials Fusion physical copy which included the season pass. Yet when the season pass released it would not let me download it. Had to purchase it from the store and get a refund. Then when I upgraded my hard drive it happened again. Had to purchase it another time and get another refund.
But hey, at least Far Cry 4 is good.
@JaxonH let's not forget they told wii u owners they have a finished game for the system they they don't deserve yet because the console hasn't sold enough, they should have just stfu and not said anything about it. Ubisoft have been terrible lately unfortunately
@ReigningSemtex
Yeah, it sucks because I really love their games. I think I love their games more than any other AAA developer out there even. So it sucks to see the suits at the corporate end mistreat gamers and their own fans.
I try to make a distinction between the suits that run the company on the publisher's side, and the developers who pour in long hours to give us the best game possible (within the constraints of what the top dogs on the business side allow, because often times they force a deadline on the developers that's unreasonable and affects the game's quality). I also try to make a distinction between the suits that run the company and the games themselves. I try to not let that bad taste in my mouth affect my enjoyment of the actual games
Hmm. I don't like this embargo rubbish. Makes me wonder what there is to hide - especially after AC Unity. Still I'm getting The Crew free as part of the Ubisoft apology, so cannot grumble. I will be stopping to think before I pre-order any more Ubisoft games though, so they are not building trust by doing this.
Bit concerned by this, I have a pre-order for the game, but feeling a bit dubious as its Ubi!
I'm going to wait until you lot let me know what you think of it but my gut feeling is it'll be a disappointment. My free Ubisoft game is going to be Far Cry 4... when they get around to letting me know how to claim it that is.
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