After a long, tumultuous journey, it appears the long-gestating PlayStation Plus Edition of DriveClub is nearing a release, after Evolution released a new update for the über-realistic racer that reportedly lays the groundwork for said trial.
Due to go live later today on PlayStation 4, the freebie was placed on a shelf indefinitely as the developer prioritised stablizing the game following its disappointing launch. Plagued by server issues and connection woes, it’s taken the Sony-owned studio a full nine months in order to lay the groundwork for DriveClub‘s PlayStation Plus edition, and with the arrival of update 1.16 looming, there is light at the end of the tunnel.
According to Evolution’s Facebook post, today’s patch will also herald “bigger, better challenges and improve server performance across the game as we continue to work to make the PlayStation Plus Edition of DriveClub possible.”
Here are the patch notes in full:
Challenges will be expanded to support an unlimited number of participants.
Challenge notifications will be integrated into the Social Hub activity feed for easy access.
The Challenge Menu will have a new interface to make it easier to join Challenges.
Evolution Studios Challenges will be added to the Challenge Menu for direct and easy access.
Invitation options will be optimised to focus on active players and reduce challenge notification spam.
More of our favourite #PS4share pictures created by the community will be added to the Menus.
Significant technical improvements will be made to enhance server connectivity and prepare for the PlayStation Plus Edition.
Given that some much time has passed, one has to wonder whether there will still be a demand for the free-to-play PlayStation Plus Edition. Regardless, Evolution will be hoping to generate a renewed interest in the title as it looks to continue building DriveClub as a service.