Ubisoft delays open-world racing game The Crew

Ubisoft's next-gen open world racing game, The Crew, has been delayed, the publisher announced today. Previously planned for a first quarter 2014 release, the game is now slated to hit PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Windows PC sometime after March 31, 2014.

The Crew, developed by Ivory Tower and Ubisoft Reflections, was pushed into the publisher's next fiscal year alongside another high-profile Ubisoft title, multi-platform open-world game Watch Dogs.

"Our long term goal is to win the next generation," Ubisoft co-founder and CEO Yves Guillemot said in a statement. "The tough decisions we are taking today to fully realize the major potential of our new creations have an impact on our short-term performance. We are convinced that, longer term, they will prove to be the right decisions both in terms of satisfaction for our fans and in terms of value creation for our shareholders. We are building franchises that will become perennial pillars of Ubisoft's financial performance. In a context of growing successes for mega-blockbusters, the additional time given to the development of our titles will allow them to fulfill their huge ambitions and thus offer players even more exceptional experiences."

Ubisoft unveiled The Crew at E3 2013, promising an open-world action racing game that blends a lengthy single-player campaign with a seamless online multiplayer component.