It began, as wildfires often do, with a small spark. A website, unknown to both heavyweight video game writers and folks like myself, creating major waves in the next-gen rumor community. As a site that deals in rumors and speculation, we of course found it interesting–and troubling, for PlayStation–when UK-based website The Same Coin reported early Wednesday morning that #DRIVECLUB, Evolution Studios’ launch day simulation racing title (heretofore referred to minus the hashtag shouting), would be delayed until 2014.

The article by writer Chris Cook makes very clear that they don’t have official word from Sony or Evolution Studios:

 “*Treat this as 100% rumour for now, hopefully it will turn out to be false*” 

However, it’s a rumor that could be based in unfortunate reality. According to The Same Coin, “an anonymous source” has claimed that Sony’s next-gen social racer will not be making its debut on November 15 as planned. While it’s one thing for a smaller press site to make such a claim and have little mind paid to it, it’s something else entirely for a larger publication to pick up the story and lend it validity.

Hours after The Same Coin’s piece hit gaming news aggregate N4g, Gawker Media gaming site Kotaku revealed that unnamed sources of their own had independently verified the rumor. Kotaku’s Jason Schreier revealed that “a person familiar with goings-on at Sony” confirmed to the New York-based reporter “that the report is true.” Throwing further fuel onto the fire, Schreier reported that DriveClub had been pulled from a PS4 preview event in the San Francisco area that same day “due to a “scheduling conflict.””

Meanwhile, PlayStation-focused website Dualshockers had some of the first images out of the PS4 public demos now available at select Sony Store retailers, with DriveClub quite prominently featured among the other games available like Knack and Contrast. As of yet, Sony representatives have declined to comment on the possible delay to Kotaku, IGN, and other outlets reporting the story.

If DriveClub doesn’t make the launch of the PS4 in November, it’ll carry a few unfortunate distinctions. First, one-third of Sony’s first party retail lineup (and half of their free Day One offering to PlayStation Plus subscribers) will be unavailable. Second, while very few people are expecting the head-to-head match up to be anything but close, PlayStation will immediately forfeit the sim racing next-gen adopters to the Xbox One and Forza Motorsport 5, making it the lone exclusive driving game for any of the three next-gen consoles at launch–the Wii U included. PlayStation owners will have to make due with Need For Speed: Rivals–which, to be fair, looks pretty good.

Couple the potential loss of DriveClub with the announcement Tuesday that Ubisoft’s standout title Watch_Dogs would also be missing the launch of the PS4 and Xbox One, and that’s two more reasons for gamers to hold off on buying into new hardware until 2014 or later. This writer agrees with his counterpart at The Same Coin in hoping that this particular SonyRumor is indeed just that.

Discuss:

Will you be disappointed if DriveClub is delayed?