The Crew Hits 12-Million-Player Milestone

by Ubisoft | on May 5, 2017

Two years after its release, The Crew keeps on welcoming new drivers in its huge open world. Over 12 million players have taken the great American road trip so far, playing more than tens of thousands of years’ worth of in-game hours and taking over 30,000 in-game pictures daily. To help celebrate the game’s ongoing success, 12 members from the Ivory Tower development team have a special message to you all.

Stéphane “Fergus” Beley, Game Director
Every time I realize how strong and growing our community is, I can’t help but get emotional. Releasing The Crew was a childhood dream come true: building a whole universe dedicated to exploration, competition, adventure, and creating glorious moments with friends or solo, behind the wheel of our favorite rides. I’ve never thought this vision would strike a chord with so many and I am always thankful to see how more and more players connect to this world, filling it with their own challenges and creations. One of them is a screenshot I’ve been using as a wallpaper on my smartphone for over a year now (see pic). It represents everything I like about The Crew: the call of the road, the fact that the destination doesn’t really matter as long as you’re enjoying the journey. And really, ours has just begun!

Paul Narducci, Lead Game Designer
From low-key road trips on country roads to exhilarating chases across the most iconic cities, I’ve lived countless adventures at your side these past two years. And even if I’ve designed a lot of challenges and missions in The Crew, I have to admit I’ve been whipped pretty badly by some of you in PVP! I still have a couple of aces up my sleeve, though, and today I’ll give away one of them: when you want to drift, just hold A & B at the same time – That’s called power drifting, and that’s my gift to all those who keep challenging us, helping us deliver the best experience possible, and giving us the ambition to always go one step further than expected. After all, this is your game too!

Julien Hummer, Player Experience Director
We’re all gamers here, so that feeling we get with The Crew, to be part of a community, to be able to share unique experiences in a game – that gives us an incredible sense of achievement. This is also what keeps us going, innovating, never taking things for granted – and especially not our players. The Crew is one of those games that make you discover new things every time you take the pad. To me, it started with a music track: “Le Perv” by Carpenter Brut. At one point, I would play it on repeat while exploring the game for hours… And I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one!

David Guillaume, Art Director
We had a blast, but also some tough times giving life to The Crew’s gigantic open world. So thank you all for your dedication, for the thousands of accumulated hours you’ve spent on and off our US roads, scanning the local landmarks of the East, Midwest, South, Mountain and West Coast regions and sharing every bit of it with us. With every passing hour, new players are joining The Crew, taking off on the adventure – guys, welcome to our 2,000-square-mile map! Here’s a tip: the moment you think you might have seen it all… think again!

Sylvain Branchu, Vehicle Handling Designer
A few days ago, I went to a huge event and found myself in the middle of a crowd of 400,000 people. Being able to see and be part of the human tide was both impressive and humbling. Then it hit me: there are 30 times as many The Crew players! The rush of emotion I got was overwhelming – thank you all so much! You have no idea how inspiring you are. Fun fact: I used to tweak the vehicles’ handling on what we called “the Branchu Loop”, northwest of Monument Valley. Then I noticed you guys were using Observatory Dash as a training mission, so I’ve taken up using it as a test-drive spot – and still do!

Carl Pedimina, Lead Engine Programmer
I used to think the launch of a game marked the end of the road for us devs. The Crew definitely changed my mind! Not only because we’ve never stopped feeding the game with new content, but also because, more than two years later, players keep on taking over the world, celebrating it with pictures, videos, and constant feedback. It makes me so proud to be part of this community. Fifteen-year-old me deciding to become a video game programmer wasn’t so irresponsible after all.

Aurèle Gannat, Game Designer
Like a lot of our players, I’m a big fan of our Photo Mode. Between my everyday job and a burning passion for nice pictures, I’ve quickly become a real screenshot machine! So here are some tips for the amateur photographers out there: take the fuzziness into account before capturing, it’ll help you get more realistic pics. For tight close-ups, don’t zoom in right away. First, set the focal length to a minimum, then choose your angle, set the focus to your liking, and shoot. Don’t forget to send us the result – here’s one of my personal creations!

Sandra Charbonnier, Vehicle Artist
Old-timers and newcomers: thank you all for taking care of our rides! We’re working hard so you can enjoy a great lineup. It’s not always easy, since we all have our very own favorite cars and specific tastes in customization, but we keep our eyes peeled for your feedback – you guys deserve the best! Note to the players bombarding me with chase invitations: I still love you, don’t change a thing!

Arnaud Fremont, Community Developer
It’s been a crazy ride since December 2014! Watching our audience grow and gather into a strong and dedicated community of 12 million players has been incredibly exciting and rewarding for the development team. Today, it’s such a pleasure to see how our most involved players take upon themselves to include the new drivers, by sharing tips and challenging them. A special thanks to our forum and Reddit regulars, The Crew Social members, and all of you engaged players. Keep on rocking, 510s, and see you on the road!

Laura Gayet, UI Artist
The Crew is all about freedom – to take the road, to go off the beaten tracks, to tell your own stories, to read the map the way you like. I personally love driving aimlessly in the great outdoors, waiting for the weather to change, and with it, the whole world and atmosphere. I also love reading our players’ stories, through countless screenshots and videos, to see how our beloved open world never ceases to amaze and inspire.

Jade Jacson, Game Designer
When we released The Crew, it almost felt like giving away something precious, something we had worked so hard for, hoping this gift would be fully appreciated. Nobody could have predicted at that time that The Crew would become the home of the most creative, inclusive, and positive-minded community – not to mention 12 million players strong! You guys have taken over our world and brought it to the next level – don’t stop now!

Lucie Dugand, Level Designer
I was really into the Artic Monkeys’ AM album when I started working on The Crew, and especially the song “Do I Wanna Know”, which is part of the game’s soundtrack. To me, it feels like the spirit of that song has soaked the whole game’s DNA: it’s the perfect road-trip track, the kind you want to turn all the way up while watching the scenery go by, goofing around with friends, or showing off in your favorite ride. It’s really touching to see how players share this kind of connection to the game, giving meaning to even the smallest details. It makes us all part of this big community.