The Driver Series Might Not be Dead

This year marks the 25^th anniversary of the Driver series. Developed by Newcastle’s Reflection Interactive before the company was later acquired by Ubisoft, the original Driver was an early example of a 3D city driving game that pushed the PlayStation to its limits, long before GTA made the jump to 3D with the influential Grand Theft Auto III.

Sadly, the Driver series has been dormant for nearly a decade and fans are desperate for a revival. After years of silence from Ubisoft, there’s now hope that a new Driver game could be on the horizon. 

Ubisoft “actively working” on Driver projects - are we finally getting a new Driver game?

Announced in September 2021, a live-action Driver TV adaptation was in the works as part of a partnership with the upcoming streaming platform Binge. Speaking to Game File, Ubisoft confirmed that the Driver TV series has been canceled following the closure of its movie/video-related subsidiary Hotrod Tanner LLC, named after Driver’s lead protagonist, John Tanner, in January this year.

Credit: Ubisoft Reflections

"We are no longer moving forward with our partnership with Binge for a Driver series," a Ubisoft spokesperson told the publication. "We are actively working on other exciting projects related to the franchise and can’t wait to share more information in the future."

This has come as a surprise to fans, as Ubisoft has barely acknowledged Driver’s existence over the last few years, despite it being one of Ubisoft Reflections’ best-known franchises.

The last mainline game was the underrated Driver: San Francisco in 2011. An innovative ‘Shift’ mechanic allowed players to switch between cars and commandeer them on the fly, resulting in one of the most madcap multiplayer driving game experiences.

Credit: Ubisoft Reflections

Sadly, Driver: San Francisco has since been delisted from digital stores, and the fantastic online multiplayer was shut down in September 2022. There hasn’t been a new game in the series since the universally panned Driver Speedboat Paradise mobile spin-off in 2015.

It’s not clear what these “exciting projects related to the franchise” are, but the prospect of Driver making a comeback is exciting for fans after the series was presumed dead. Given that this year marks the 25^th anniversary of the series, we could get a remake of the original game, or possibly a long-awaited sequel to Driver San Francisco.

Are you hoping for a new Driver game from Ubisoft? Let us know in the comments below.

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