Ubisoft acquires The Crew developer Ivory Tower

Ubisoft has acquired Ivory Tower, developer of middling racing title The Crew, for an undisclosed sum, ahead of the release of expansion pack Wild Run.

Announced back in 2013, The Crew promised to be a spiritual successor to Test Drive Unlimited and Burnout Paradise, blending fast-paced racing with elements borrowed from massively multiplayer on-line role playing games (MMORPGs). Due to launch in early 2014, the game was pushed back to the next financial year due to undisclosed developmental difficulties, only to slip again in October the following year following poor feedback from beta testers.

When the game finally did launch under the Ubisoft Reflections label, it proved a disappointment which failed to live up to the legacy of its predecessor - 'basically The Elder Scrolls Online,' explained reviewer Rick Lane at the time, 'but with cars.'

Despite poor reviews, Ubisoft has committed to the future of the franchise by acquiring French developer Ivory Tower for an undisclosed sum. 'By joining Ubisoft, the team at Ivory Tower will continue to benefit from Ubisoft's infrastructure, support, tools, technology and vision,' managing director Ahmed Boukhelifa told Develop of the deal. 'In return, we will contribute our own expertise to the broader Ubisoft story.'

The company, founded in 2007 by former Eden Games developers, has indicated that it will continue to work on The Crew franchise, with plans to release a content expansion dubbed Wild Run for the game.