The Crew 2

The Crew 2 is a 2018 online-only racing video game developed by Ubisoft Ivory Tower and published by Ubisoft for PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One, and Google Stadia. It is the sequel to 2014's The Crew. It features a persistent open world environment for free-roaming across a scaled-down recreation of the contiguous United States. The game allows players to control a variety of vehicles including cars, motorcycles, boats, and airplanes.

A sequel, The Crew Motorfest, was released on September 14, 2023.

Gameplay
Similar to its predecessor, The Crew 2 is a racing game. In the game, players assume control of a racer who is trying to work their way to become successful in multiple vehicular racing disciplines. It features a persistent open world environment for racing and free-roaming across a scaled-down recreation of the contiguous United States. In addition to cars, players can control other kinds of vehicles, including airplanes, motorcycles, and powerboats. Each vehicle has its own control physics, meaning that game play is different when players are controlling different types of vehicles. Players can switch between controlling air, land and sea vehicles instantly. The game features four different hub worlds, with each having their own theme and playstyle. These themes include off-road, street racing, pro racing, and free-style. Similar to the first game, it places an emphasis on playing multiplayer in groups called crews. It also features a cooperative multiplayer mode, which allows players to join any events besides "boss" events together. This mode can also be played solo with artificial intelligence. As with the previous title, The Crew 2 requires a constant internet connection to play.

Synopsis
The game features a nonlinear story, that follows the unnamed player character as they become a racing icon in the United States by winning in all racing disciplines available in the game. There are four disciplines: Street Racing, Off Road, Freestyle and Pro Racing. In Street Racing, the player is assisted by Latrell Jordan. In Off Road, the player is assisted by Tucker "Tuck" Morgan, having previously assisted by Wade Palmer until "The Switch" event. In Freestyle, the player is assisted by Sofia Valentina Herrera and Emmett Lee Parker. In Pro Racing, the player is assisted by Alexis Kendrick.

Development
The Crew 2 was developed by Ubisoft Ivory Tower. Parts of the development was based on the feedback they received on the previous installment. One major critique was that players did not have enough freedom to explore the world and do missions. To solve the problem, Ubisoft overhauled the game's progression system and decided not to focus much on the game's narrative, which would require players to complete missions in a very specific order, and instead divided the game into several hub worlds, with each representing a unique driving style. Players can stay in these hubs to play the missions that interest them and do not need to force themselves to visit other hubs to play through missions that do not interest them. The Crew's downloadable content, Wild Run, which was positively reviewed by players, also prompted the studio to focus more on developing content regarding offroad racing.

As the game features a variety of vehicles, Ivory Tower also needed to improve the game's graphics. According to the game's producer, Stephane Jankowski, these new types of vehicles allow players to explore the open world with new perspectives. For instance, flying a plane means that players can see objects that are very far away. As a result, the engine had to be modified to significantly improve the game's draw distance. The engine was also updated to include other enhancements, such as atmospheric clouds and realistic vegetation. The game's control was designed to be accessible but "hard to master".

The game was announced in May 2017 during Ubisoft's earning's call. It was revealed at E3 2017 accompanied with a cinematic trailer and gameplay demonstrations. The game was originally set to be released for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One on March 16, 2018, however, in early December 2017 Ubisoft announced that the game was postponed towards mid- or late-2018, in order to give developers more time to deliver a quality product. A closed alpha for PC was held from 14 to 19 of March 2018 and a closed beta was held from 31 of May to 4 of June of the same year. The game was released worldwide on June 29, 2018.

Marketing
To entice The Crew players to return for The Crew 2, Ubisoft implemented a reward program, which allowed players to unlock up to 18 cars by achieving certain milestones in The Crew before The Crew 2 was released. Furthermore, all returning players from The Crew automatically received the 2014 Ferrari 458 Speciale upon the game's release. Also, the publisher announced the touring car version of the 2017 Mercedes-AMG C 63 and the 2017 Harley-Davidson Iron 883 as pre-order bonuses, whereas players ordering the Deluxe or Gold edition receive further vehicles, with the Gold edition also including the season pass. In addition to the reward system, Ubisoft also held a closed beta for players who signed up, as well as an open beta that occurred on June 21 until June 24. Those who participated in the open beta received a gold helmet in the full version of the game. Ubisoft also plans to have a "King of the Road Trip" competition, where popular YouTubers and streamers will get a chance to compete in a competition, where the players race against other players that are in the same region as them.

Reception
The Crew 2 received "mixed or average reviews" according to review aggregator Metacritic.

Sequel
On January 31, 2023, Ubisoft announced the next installment in The Crew series, officially titled The Crew Motorfest. Set in a scaled-down recreation of the Oahu island in Hawaii, the game was released on September 14, 2023 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.