Ubisoft has quietly removed The Crew from digital storefronts, signaling the end of its journey. Initially spotted by a user on ResetEra, the game’s delisting precedes its server shutdown scheduled for April 2024. Since its launch in 2014, “The Crew” offered players an immersive open-world racing experience and attracted a substantial following.
Notice: The Crew™ is no longer available on the Steam store.Notice: All editions and additional content for The Crew are no longer available for purchase.
The game will remain playable until March 31st, 2024, for all The Crew owners. After this date, the game servers will shut down, which means the game will not be accessible anymore.
This development is part of a broader plan by Ubisoft, as noted by Video Games Chronicle (VGC), to shut down online services for several of its older games, including four “Assassin’s Creed” titles, starting January 2024. While The Crew faces its end, its successors, The Crew 2 and the recent The Crew Motorfest, will continue to operate.
The news of the delisting and upcoming server shutdown of The Crew has reignited the ongoing debate over physical versus digital media in the gaming industry. On platforms like Twitter, gamers have been vocal about their concerns, with some arguing that such practices, which essentially render a purchased game unplayable, should be reconsidered if not deemed illegal. This situation highlights the challenges of game preservation and the transient nature of digital-only games, especially those reliant on online servers.