Gab Hernandez 
The Crew is closing down its servers after nine years, with Ubisoft confirming when the move will come and what options players will have after.
The Crew is a racing game developed by Ubisoft that was initially released on PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One in December 2014. The game sold over two million units within its first year. Despite the financial success, The Crew was unfortunately not as warmly received by critics or casual fans.
Although many praised the game’s ambitiously large open world, taking hours to reach between locations in real-time, it was heavily criticized for its microtransactions and online-only requirements. Even so, the game chugged along for years with a steady base of hardcore players. Unfortunately, Ubisoft is pulling the plug on the game and closing down The Crew’s servers.
When is The Crew closing its servers?
The Crew will be closing its servers on March 31, 2024. After that date passes, The Crew will no longer be playable, as the online-only requirement means it would be inaccessible without servers.
The online-only functionality was already a sticking point with critics and fans regarding The Crew. While fans have bristled at this, publishers remain committed to this approach. One of the major concerns among players regarding online-only requirements is publishers being to completely disable a game, something that is being seen here. Despite this, more and more publishers are doubling down on it with titles like Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League taking this even further.
Those who purchased the game will no longer be able to play it at all. The Crew is now delisted on Steam, which means it can’t be purchased anymore. Even the single-player campaign required an online connection to access, meaning The Crew will simply be taking up space after the servers close down.
Does The Crew have a sequel?
The Crew has two sequels; The Crew 2 and The Crew Motorfest.
Much like its predecessor, both sequels also require an internet connection to play. Although the sequels overhauled the games to be more dynamic and made technical improvements across the board, the looming issue of online-only still bothered many players, which hasn’t been helped by this news.
The closing of The Crew’s servers also sets a precedent for the future. While both games were reviewed favorably, this closure implies that a similar fate awaits these sequels. As for why The Crew was made inaccessible, it’s speculated that it’s due to car licensing contracts running out. This is why Forza games tend to go unlisted after a few years. It should be noted that Forza games don’t make the games unplayable upon delisting.
