The Crew Delayed By Ubisoft, New Beta Incoming

Ubisoft has decided that The Crew won't be ready in time for its November launch. The company announced today that they're pushing the release date back a few weeks.

The Crew will now hit Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS4 and PC on December 2nd. The game was originally slated for a November 11th launch on all platforms.

“Our philosophy remains to deliver the best game possible. We’re all committed to delivering a revolutionary experience in the driving genre and we can’t wait for The Crew to be in the hands of the players.” said creative director Julian Gerigthy on the The Crew's website.

The extra month gives Ubisoft the chance to hold another beta test on consoles. The developments held only one small-scale, technical beta on PS4 and Xbox One previously. That test is wrapping up tonight. The other betas were limited to the PC.

“We received a lot of valuable information from the recent PC and console betas,” Gerighty told UbiBlog. “We are now scrutinizing all of the player feedback so we can ensure that The Crew delivers the seamless open-world experience that meets everyone’s high expectations.”

UbiBlog ran down a few of these improvements thanks to testing. Players will now have the option to turn off the HUD so they can fully appreciate the scenery. Collisions are more realistic. The difficulty was tweaked as well.

The second console beta will be held sometime in November. Beta keys are being given to gamers who pre-ordered. It's unclear whether this upcoming test will be limited to PS4 and Xbox One like the latest test or if Xbox 360 owners will get a crack at it, too.

The Crew allows players to drive across a persistent recreation of the United States. Lone wolves can tackle a 20+ hour single-player campaign. However, there are also multiplayer events that support up to eight racers. Minigames throughout the world will allow players to test their skills and then compare their scores against other races throughout the world.

Ubisoft's game is launching during a competitive holiday season for racers. On Xbox One and Xbox 360, they have to compete with Forza Horizon 2. PS4 exclusive Driveclub will be released this week. Horizon 2 and Driveclub are both first-party titles, too, meaning that they have the marketing muscle of Microsoft and Sony behind them.

The Crew has a chance to win over some racing fans too. However, it's going to need to be a really great game to do that. We'll see if the extra weeks of development are enough to make The Crew stand out.