When it launched in September last year, The Crew Motorfest was only available on PC via the Epic Games Store and Ubisoft Connect. This is no longer the case with the open-world racer launching on Steam last week, bringing The Crew Motorfest to a wider player base on PC.
However, The Crew Motorfest’s Steam launch has been marred by controversy. Ubisoft's decision to shut down the original game’s online servers and render it unplayable has sparked outrage from the community. Amid the ongoing backlash, The Crew Motorfest has been review bombed on Steam by angry players boycotting Ubisoft.
Ubisoft under fire for killing The Crew
Ubisoft has been widely criticized for shutting down The Crew’s servers last month. Since the original game requires an online connection and Ubisoft hasn’t released an offline patch, The Crew is completely unplayable.
To make matters worse, Ubisoft deleted the game from player’s libraries, preventing the original game from being downloaded or booted up.
Ubisoft is clearly trying to force players to abandon the original game and move on to The Crew 2 or The Crew Motorfest, but this is a step too far. With The Crew effectively wiped from existence, fans who originally bought the game can no longer access a game they paid for - even if they own a disc. This sets a worrying precedent for the future of game preservation.
“Don't buy this game as you don't actually own it”
Now, the controversy has spilled onto The Crew Motorfest’s Steam page, which is inundated with negative reviews. Many user reviews highlight that you don’t actually own the game, as, like the original game, Ubisoft can remove it from your library without warning. At the time of writing, The Crew Motorfest has a Mixed rating on Steam.
“Don't buy this game as you don't actually own it and Ubisoft can get remove it from your library anytime without giving you a refund,” one user wrote. “They describe buying this game as a ‘subscription’. So if we don't own the game, they shouldn't own our money right? Don't fall for this trick. Trust me.”
“With Motorfest, it's not the cars you're renting, it's the game,” another wrote.
UK petition gets over 10,000 signatures
Others are encouraging players to join the Stop Killing Games campaign.
Helpfully, the website provides links to government petitions in different countries for creating new laws that prevent publishers from making games unplayable after they end support.
At the time of writing, a petition on the UK government website has already received nearly 12,000 signatures. Petitions with over 10,000 signatures require a government response, while any with over 100,000 will be discussed in parliament.
As a result of the backlash, recent reviews have been disabled on the Steam page. The Crew Motorfest’s price has also been slashed with a 50% discount on Steam, just a few days after launch.
Clearly, players aren’t going to forgive Ubisoft for killing The Crew any time soon.
Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get the latest racing game news and deals straight to your inbox!