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The Crew returns: get to know the racing series
Get up to speed with The Crew ahead of the release of the third game in this groundbreaking and hugely successful racing series.
At E3 2013, the world was first introduced to The Crew – an ambitious driving game like no other. Combining an enormous open world – one that encompassed all 50 of the United States of America – with always-connected online multiplayer that promised an immersive racing experience on an unprecedented scale.
Deep dive into the making of The Crew Motorfest by watching the video in the player above.
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The crew behind The Crew
The Crew opened up with plenty of ambition
© Ubisoft
There was a good reason to believe this lofty goal could be achieved as well. Ivory Tower, a development studio working on the game was founded by three former senior members of Eden Games – the studio responsible for cult racer Test Drive Unlimited and its sequel. The Crew, known in its prototype stages as Route 66, was intended as an expansion of the team's work on Test Drive – a spiritual successor to the games that have earned an extremely dedicated following.
The game was co-developed by Ubisoft Reflections, who had in their previous iterations developed the The Driver series. Needless to say, the game had a pedigree, and expectations were high.
The following year, the game launched. While connection issues dampened the launch slightly, players were still impressed by the vast open world, which allowed them to race through America's streets and highways in a huge selection of cars. The novelty of watching the sun rise after driving from the West Coast to the East was something truly unique, tapping into the unique freedom offered by driving games.
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The Crew returns: The Crew 2
The Crew 2 let you head off-road, soar the skies and even sail the ocean
© Ubisoft
With a strong foundation set, Ivory Tower got to work on a sequel that would be bigger and better in every way than its predecessor. Revealed at E3 2017, the follow-up entitled simply The Crew 2, took proceedings offroad, to the skies and even across oceans. The roster of vehicles was greatly expanded, adding planes, boats and all manner of offroad vehicles, coming in at over 500.
What made this experience unique was that you could switch vehicles, literally on the fly. At the press of a button, players could instantly swap from a plane to a car, before driving off a bridge and turning their four-wheeled vehicle into a speedboat. By leaving realism behind, Ivory Tower had created a high-speed gaming experience like no other, where your only boundary was your own imagination.
Plenty of terrain was at your disposal in The Crew 2
© Ubisoft
Additionally, there was a huge amount of content to enjoy. Hundreds of races were available across a huge variety of environments, all of which allowed you to build up your fanbase and become America's star racer. All of these thrilling features were rendered with cutting-edge graphics that truly reflected the beauty of the diverse landscapes of the USA, while, of course representing the vehicles in stunning detail. The sequel also introduces home spaces, your base of operations to customise your vehicles and snap some stunning pics.
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Get ready for The Crew: Motorfest
The island of O‘ahu is your motoring playground this time around
© Ubisoft
Now Ivory Coast and Ubisoft are gearing up for the release of the third game in The Crew series. This time localised to the Hawaiian island of O‘ahu, the game features a huge selection of playlists, each featuring vastly different themes and vehicles, ranging from dirt road dashes, street races with Japanese tuners and old-school romps in classic cars.
Each of these playlists features wildly different visuals in addition to the variety in mechanics, representing the different subcultures that exist in the motorsports community. No matter what flavour of racing you vibe with, there will be something that caters to your specific tastes in The Crew: Motorfest. For those who can't get enough of all manner of racing genres will find lots to love here, and a veritable mountain of content to explore.
There are also a handful of exclusive Red Bull vehicles to play with in The Crew: Motorfest. You won't want to miss this truly next-generation racing experience when it launches on September 11, 2023.
