The Crew 2 is the first game since ever to feature Porsche and Ruf from launch

There was a time when Porsche was a scarce sight in the world of gaming, with only the odd cameo in Forza shedding light on the prancing horse from Stuttgart. The way around it was to grab the license to use Ruf vehicles – the manufacturer that creates Porsche-looking cars like the legendary Yellowbird.

This was all down to an exclusivity deal with EA, leaving the other game developers at sea with regards to getting Porsches into their titles.

With early access now underway for The Crew 2 however, it has come to light that both Porsche and Ruf are featured for the first time from the day of release in any game.

Both manufacturers have appeared in racing games before but have only stumbled into titles after initial release, making for this landmark moment for the brands in car-based gaming.

The Porsches in the game include the 918 Spyder and 911 GT3 RS

The Porsches in the game include the 918 Spyder and 911 GT3 RS

Even though they both feature in the new game, they have been kept somewhat separate from each other. For example, only selected Rufs are available, and they're the ones that resemble standard Porsches 911s the least.

In The Crew 2 you get the bespoke CTR-3 supercar and the Cayman-esque 3400K, with no sign of the epic carbon fibre SCR or 'standard' CTR.

This looks a bit too Porsche-y to be allowed into the game

This looks a bit too Porsche-y to be allowed into the game

It's cool that Ruf at least features in the game though, as when the EA exclusivity deal lifted, the small manufacturer got shunted aside for the full-fat Porsche cars.

So The Crew 2 seems to be a lovely watershed moment for everyone playing nicely with each other in the licensing world.