The Crew
License RevokedIvory Tower · Ubisoft
Servers shut down, licenses revoked, or abandoned after sale — with named sources.
LaunchedDec 2, 2014
Shut downMar 31, 2024
Days live3.4k days
CategoryLicense Revoked
Steam peak14k concurrent
Launch price$29.99
About
An always-online open-world racing game set across a scaled continental United States. Solo play required a live server connection.
What happened
Always-online, including solo
The Crew required a persistent connection for all modes. When servers went offline on March 31 2024, the game became unplayable.
Licenses removed from libraries
After the shutdown, Eurogamer reported that Ubisoft began removing The Crew from owners' store libraries, not only delisting it from sale.
Servers and licensing
Ubisoft told Video Games Chronicle the shutdown was necessary due to upcoming server infrastructure and licensing constraints.
Ubisoft delisted The Crew in late 2023 and told Video Games Chronicle it would decommission the game on March 31 2024 because of server infrastructure and licensing constraints. The game stayed playable until that date; after it, servers went offline and always-online solo play died with them.
In April 2024, Eurogamer reported that Ubisoft had started removing The Crew from owners' libraries. IGN argued that delisting a licensed racer is one decision and making purchased copies unplayable is another. The case became a reference point for the Stop Killing Games campaign and later consumer-rights coverage.
Sources
- Ubisoft has delisted The Crew, which will no longer be playable from April 2024Video Games Chronicle · Dec 14, 2023
- Ubisoft reportedly revoking The Crew from owners' libraries following server shutdownEurogamer · Apr 12, 2024
- Delisting The Crew Makes Sense, Preventing It From Ever Being Played Again Does NotIGN · Jan 2, 2024