As Ubisoft releases The Crew today in North America, we find that title which has experienced a number of issues and delays, has another big surprise in store for those who take the plunge and buy the game this week.

The promised “Companion App” for The Crew will not be released till “early 2015” according to the announcement printed on the actual game case. What this means is that the companion App which allows players to explore the full world map via the mobile device, as well as tweak and adjust their cars, and unlock in-game content, as was to be a big part of the game itself, is apparently not yet ready for prime time. Ubisoft and developer Ivory Tower have yet to clarify the exact situation as to why the Companion App will not be released at the same time as the actual game.

The news of the companion App not making the game’s release seems to be par for the course with The Crew. It just seems no matter how much Ubisoft and Ivory Tower have tried to get things right with this game, it continues to be plagued with problems and setbacks. (It is no wonder that the decision was made to not release early review copies to the media with the excuse that the game takes much more time to create an accurate review of the game because of the amount of content.)

Had to say what Ubisoft is going to end up with for the first release of The Crew. There was much talk about Ubisoft wanting to make The Crew the cornerstone of its new racing franchise, but it does not seem that it is shaping up as the publisher would have hoped. We need to play around with the end product before we pass judgment, but features missing because the Companion App was not ready for release, will make it impossible to give the title any review that does not lead to an incomplete till it is released.