Driveclub struggles persist as Evolution says it is pondering compensation

Nearly a week on from the US launch and four days on from its UK release, Sony’s Driveclub is still crippled with severe online problems.

Game update 1.03 went live on Saturday and was intended to implement several game-side fixes to reduce server load” and while there have been some reports of improved connectivity the vast majority of players still seem unable to connect to the game’s servers.

Furthermore, key features such as Clubs and leaderboards remain disabled as Evolution continues to try and resolve the problems.

All of which means of course that the free PlayStation Plus Edition remains completely MIA with no firm timescale set for its release.

We ran a beta test and none of these issues occurred, we had confidence everything was ready,” game director Paul Rustchynsky said on Twitter. These issues were unexpected.”

When asked whether any compensation was being planned for those who had paid full price for the game and were still unable to access key features, Rustchynsky said that we’re considering all of our options right now”.

We are working hard to get everyone online as soon as possible,” Evolution’s most recent update last week said. We have just released another server update that has increased the number of players racing which is good news, but in order to keep building on these numbers we will be running further updates in the coming days that will affect availability of some of the online game features.

Some functions are temporarily unavailable including challenges and social updates, but for those of you that can connect, you will still be able to participate in clubs, leaderboards and online multiplayer races.

This is in addition to the single player Tour mode, custom solo events and car customisation that are available even when you’re not connected. We appreciate this isn’t ideal but this is really the best way for us to improve server performance and online play for everybody, and we will be switching on these features as further progress is made.

Thanks for bearing with us and sending us your supportive comments. Believe us, we know how frustrating this is for you and we are working non-stop to find the best solution to get you all connected and racing together online.”