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Sony is shutting down all Driveclub online servers

Evolution Studios' racer will go offline at the end of the month, while StarBlood Arena will close entirely in July

Sony Interactive Entertainment is shutting down the online servers for Driveclub, five years after the PlayStation 4 racing title first launched.

The shutdown will make all online features in Driveclub, Driveclub VR and Driveclub Bikes defunct. It will take place on March 31, 2020, just before midnight British Summer Time.

In a statement, Sony said that all Driveclub games will be playable in single-player offline mode, while acknowledging that they, "have significant amounts of online gameplay."

Features that will no longer work include using season passes online, engaging with any online multiplayer modes or challenges, creating bespoke events, competing in leaderboards, or sharing stats and progress.

In addition, Sony also announced that online servers for StarBlood Arena will also be closed on July 25, 2019. As an online-only game, it will no longer be playable from that date.

While StarBlood Arena may be less well known, Driveclub was a much publicised first-party exclusive for PlayStation 4. However, it endured a rocky launch period in October 2014, and developer Evolution Studios laid off a reported 55 people six months later.

One year later, in March 2016, Sony closed Evolution Studios for good, ending a 17-year history that included the Motorstorm and World Rally Championship franchises.

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Matthew Handrahan

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Matthew Handrahan joined GamesIndustry in 2011, bringing long-form feature-writing experience to the team as well as a deep understanding of the video game development business. He previously spent more than five years at award-winning magazine gamesTM.