Ubisoft: MMO Racing Game "The Crew 2" Gets Offline Mode

Ubisoft has released an offline mode for the racing game MMO “The Crew 2.” Players can export their online game progress at any time and repeatedly to continue playing it offline. The catch: offline progress is not synchronized back to the online game progress. In addition, multiplayer game modes and user-generated content are missing.

In practice, most users will therefore continue to play online for now. The offline mode is likely intended as insurance: if the servers for “The Crew 2” are eventually shut down, players can save their game progress offline and continue playing. This spares “The Crew 2” the fate that made its predecessor so controversial: after Ubisoft shut down the servers on April 1, 2024, the title became completely unplayable. There was and is no offline mode for Part 1.

Stop Killing Videogames

This sparked several debates. Among other things, the Pirate Party criticized the shutdown. The practice could violate EU law, according to Pirate Party MEP Patrick Breyer: “Ubisoft's shutdown of 'The Crew 1' is an alarming example of how player interests are ignored. It is unacceptable and likely illegal for companies to first sell popular games profitably and then shut them down at short notice,” Breyer wrote.

Above all, Ubisoft's approach with “The Crew” triggered the “Stop Killing Games” initiative, which is registered with the EU as “Stop Destroying Videogames.” The citizens' initiative reached the necessary signatures in the summer—if enough of the 1.4 million collected signatures are genuine, the EU Commission must address the issue. The goal is to force publishers to continue operating old video games. The industry fears rising costs as a result.

Ubisoft had already promised that “The Crew 2” would receive an offline mode last fall—as a direct reaction to the criticism of “The Crew.”

(dahe)