Ubisoft Brings "Driver" Franchise To Mobiles, Drops Cars For Speedboats

It's been a while since the last "Driver" game was released. That was well over three years ago with the well-received "Driver: San Francisco," which was released for all major consoles at the time in addition to the PC version. Ubisoft doesn't seem to have forgotten about the open-world racing franchise as the latest "Driver" game is schedule for release next month. However, it is going to assume an avatar that will leave fans of the franchise a bit disappointed.

The next "Driver" game won't be a mainstream AAA console title or even a game about cars. Ubisoft has taken a major departure from the series this time and downgraded it to a mobile game for its latest outing. Dubbed "Driver: Speedboat Paradise," Game Informer reports that the game will not be headed to PS4 or Xbox One but to Android and iOS app stores instead. The mobile game will take the ever-popular free-to-play route and head to smartphones and tablets in April 2015.

Ubisoft's decision to downgrade a popular AAA game into a free-to-play mobile affair is baffling, considering the fact that the last Driver game was received pretty well by critics and was praised for its multiplayer aspect and innovative "Shift" mechanic as well. Even more strangely, the company didn't seem to have faith with "Driver: Speedboat Paradise" either. The game was initially released in New Zealand and Australia last year and is being launched worldwide later next month. It is apparent that the company may have done that to gauge consumer reaction before pushing on with a worldwide release.

The upcoming game does away with cars and the series protagonist John Tanner as well. In "Driver: Speedboat Paradise," gamers assume the role of a "young, reckless driver trying to make a name for yourself in the ruthless world of underground speedboat racing," according to Gamespot. However, the series protagonist Tanner returns in a different capacity this time around. He's the cop on hot pursuit even as players try to make a name for themselves in the illegal underground world of speedboat racing.

"Speedboat Paradise" will be spread across 32 levels, which will get further add replay value through classic, time trial, endurance, elimination and duel game modes. The staple racing game mechanic is carried forward by providing players with access to various boats. The free-to-play game will incorporate microtransactions in this aspect by giving gamers the choice of either grinding for faster boats or simply buying them out using real world money.

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