42 MCV 08/10/10 BRAND PROFILE: DRIVER Back in the Driver’s seat
Ubisoft plans to take the classic Driver series back to its glory days next year with Driver: San Francisco. Christopher Dring looks back at the ups and downs for the franchise…
CLASSIC STATUS
Back in 1999 there was nothing quite like Driver. Sure, its open-world action and driving was comparable to the GTA series, but back then Rockstar’s classic was a top-down 2D affair. Driverfelt like something new, it achieved a huge fan base on launch and even today is seen as one of the original PlayStation’s greatest titles. “The original Driver, on PSone, set
the template for open-world driving games with its iconic silhouette creative, West Coast of America
THE STORY SO FAR...
The fact Driveris still around is testament to the series’ resilience. The 1999 original and its 2000 follow-up were huge successes for
developer Reflections, but it has been a tough road ever since. The series has moved from GT Interactive to Infogrammes to Atari, culminating in the car crash critical reception around Driv3r. Studio founder Martin Edmondson was jettisoned following its release, and the franchise was left in a crumpled heap until Ubisoft salvaged it in 2006, buying the series and the studio for $24m. Over the past five years there have been two Driver
releases, 2006’s Parallel Linesand 2007’s Driver 76, both of which were greeted by mixed reviews. But now Ubisoft plans to rejuvenate the series. The firm is
throwing big money behind next year’s Driver San Francisco and has even brought Martin Edmondson back on board. “One cannot speak for GT Interactive’s or Atari’s
campaigns for the previous editions in the series,” says senior brand manager Phil Brannelly. “But we are confident that for Driver San Franciscowe will deliver a well thought out marketing campaign to reach the Driver fans, past and present, and energise them to introduce a completely new audience to the brand. We are focused on re- establishing the brand to its former glory and be the first major blockbuster for 2011.”
setting, thrilling chase gameplay and its unique handling,” says senior brand manager Phil Brannelly. “It still has as a firm place in
people’s hearts and evokes powerful memories for them. “The more we looked into the Driver
brand of the past, the more we realised that it was more than just a great game – it is truly a cult classic. Classic originals own a place in peoples hearts and minds. This is something that can’t be bought – you’ve either got it or you haven’t. Driverhas it.”
THE ROAD TO SAN FRANCISCO
“I think it is fair to say that Drivercame out of nowhere in terms of its success. “There had not been a long run up of PR and marketing, and it wasn’t a
sequel, or based on a movie or sport to help it gain visibility. So although we were confident that it was an exciting and original game that would have huge appeal, there is always nervousness that accompanies it’s development due to it not being established. We cut many corners basically. Sourcing music as cheaply as possible, cut scenes developed in house and using a very small and inexperienced team. “From memory the team was around
DRIVER
Years Active: 1999 – Present Key Games: Driver, Driver 2 Developer: Ubisoft Reflections Coming Soon: Driver San Francisco(2011)
25 in size for the first game. Since then Driverhas gone through different phases, where huge development resource was placed behind it, and then – when publisher fortunes have not been so good – working to very tight budget and deadlines. “The thankful situation for Driver now is that Ubisoft decided it could be the huge franchise that it once was, paid a not inconsiderable sum of money for the team, and has pumped even larger sums in helping us deliver a huge leap in quality and content. This was on the condition that we as a team created something that was absolutely cutting edge, interesting and original. “And original driving games are fairly thin on the ground. So in contrast to the first Drivergame we have an enormous team of several hundred. We were able to invest the money and manpower in having real licensed cars, licensed music, produce an enormous amount of content, great writers, huge production value cut scenes, online multiplayer and splitscreen multiplayer, bring the Film Director back and many other things. “The strength of the brand, backed by the publisher has allowed us to take the approach of ‘what is best for the game’ instead of ‘which is quickest or cheapest’. We can have all these different features instead of having to make the cruel choices we have sometimes had to make in the past.”
Gareth Edmondson, Creative Director, Ubisoft Reflections
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