14 DAY TRIAL // Developer Evolution Studios issued a statement apologizing for the difficult start of Driveclub, saying that the connectivity issues experienced by users all around the globe were due to its servers being pushed to the limits.
While it's certainly nice for your game to be popular enough to cause your servers to lose the capacity to cope with demand, it's still something that will negatively impact the entire experience, especially considering that many fans have been waiting for more than a year to get their hands on the racer.
Initially supposed to be released as a launch lineup game for the PlayStation 4 computer entertainment system from Sony, Driveclub was pushed back repeatedly, until finally showing up to the party, late and slightly defective (or extremely popular, depending on what spin you want to put on it).
The game servers are pushed to their limit
"With DRIVECLUB, we are dedicated to delivering a dynamic and socially connected racing game that everyone can enjoy, and along the way we're facing new challenges which we haven't encountered as a development team before," Game Director Paul Rustchynsky posted on the game's official Facebook page.
"We are seeing a lot of activity and new social behaviors right now, but unfortunately this is pushing the servers to their absolute limits," he explained.
The game also has a free version, featuring a handful of cars and tracks, available for PlayStation Plus subscribers, which was supposed to be released alongside the full edition, as well as a companion app for mobile devices.
However, given the current situation, Evolution Studios decided to postpone both releases, apologizing to their fans for having to do so.
"In order to help all DRIVECLUB players who have the game already, we're temporarily holding back the PS Plus Edition and the My DRIVECLUB app to ease the load and traffic to the servers. This should give players a better chance of connecting to the game servers and, once the servers are operating well, we'll be sure to let you know when the PS Plus Edition and My DRIVECLUB app will be available to download," the announcement reads.
The devs are working around the clock to improve connectivity
Rustchynsky apologized for the difficult start, assuring gamers that the development team was working around the clock to improve connectivity.
"We fully appreciate how frustrating this is for everyone. We want you to get online with your club because racing, challenging and having fun together is what the game is all about. We know that racing with your friends online is what you've been waiting for and we are doing everything we can to deliver that experience to you as soon as possible," the game director stated.
In the meantime, you can always get started offline with the game's single-player mode, exploring the Driveclub tour. Evidently, you'll be able to earn fame and unlock cars, and the game client will continue to try to get online. When it manages to do so, all your progress will get synchronized with the servers, so you won't lose anything.