Ubisoft’s launch ofThe Crew 2in 2018 didn’t exactly shake up the genre. Developed by Ubisoft’s Ivory Tower studio, it served as valuable experience for a growing team working to become a AAA racing game developer. The open-world racing title did show promise, of course, leading many to look forward to Ubisoft Ivory Tower’s next game. A recent leak may have offered a first look at exactly what that project is, with screenshots revealing the titleThe Crew 2: Orlando.
The screenshots forThe Crew 2: Orlandoare said to have been datamined fromThe Crew 2and are odd, to say the least. For one, Orlando appears to be a codename rather than a location, as the screenshots show it taking place either in Hawaii or on a fictional island off the west coast of the United States. There are also logos for both a “Massive Race” and a “Live All Star,” both of which could refer to a 100-player Crew vs. Crew race involving swapping vehicles like a racing game triathlon/battle royale.
RELATED:The Crew 2 Debuts with Cinematic Trailer at Ubisoft E3
Here’s where things get interesting. One of the screenshots shows the titleThe Crew 2: Orlandoalong with a flag saying “FREE,” implying this could be DLC forThe Crew 2. However, leaker Tom Henderson has since offered some insight into what they’ve heard about the project. Henderson says Project Orland isn’t actually DLC, but rather a project currently dubbedThe Crew: Orlando. It’s an entirelynew racing gamebuilt on a new driving engine.
Henderson doesn’t elaborate on what he’s heard, unfortunately. It’s possible thatOrlandowas once planned to be freeDLC forThe Crew 2and has since been expanded to be a full project. In other words, the leaked screenshots aren’t representative at all of whatThe Crew: Orlandomight be anymore.
What Henderson does apparently know is thatThe Crew: Orlandois currently actively in development atUbisoft’s Ivory Tower studio. It’s still in pre-alpha, however, meaning there’s still a lot of work left to be done. As such, Henderson says that there’s no set release date for the open-world racing game.
It bears repeating that a newThe Crewgame hasnot been announced by Ubisoftup to this point. The leaks, as well as Henderson’s reporting, are not necessarily confirmation. They could be inaccurate, could have misconstrued the details, or Ubisoft’s plans could have changed. And ifThe Crew: Orlandoexists, it may be some time before Ubisoft makes an official announcement.
