Driver returns to San Francisco this holiday

LOS ANGELES--Ubisoft has made no secret about the fact that it is prepping a new installment in the Driver franchise, its first since acquiring the property from Atari in 2006. As part of its 2010 Electronic Entertainment Expo press conference today, Ubisoft officially announced the title, confirming the previously registered Driver San Francisco URL registration from April.

Due during the last three months of 2010, Driver San Francisco will be available for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC, and Mac. The game is in development at Ubisoft's Reflections studio, which created the series in 1999 and was acquired by the French publisher alongside the franchise from Atari.

Driver San Francisco will also be a throwback to previous installments in the franchise, featuring a matchup between original protagonist John Tanner and Driver 2 antagonist Charles Jericho. As the story goes, Tanner, a hard-boiled detective behind the wheel of a 1970s-era Shelby GT500, is on the hunt for Jericho, and the two will engage in vehicular duels on the streets of San Francisco.

As detailed in Ubisoft's press conference, the game will include more than 100 licensed vehicles, all of which are subject to damage. The game will also feature a supernatural element, as Tanner is apparently pursuing his mark from the confines of a coma. Tanner's situation impacts gameplay, as players will be able to pause time to hop to a new vehicle on the fly, as well as take a bird's-eye view of the city to jump to various locations.