In a big pre-launch surprise, KT Racing has revealed that Ibiza is coming to Test Drive Unlimited: Solar Crown just three months after launch, as part of its first year content roadmap.
Launching on September 12, Test Drive Unlimited: Solar Crown will feature a 1:1 reconstruction of Hong Kong Island to race around, but the announcement that Ibiza is returning to the game this year is a huge fan pleaser – it was the setting for TDU2 13 years ago. Again, this is a 1:1 recreation, but of the city and its suburbs and not of the entire island.
The first two seasons also include free Solar Pass progression tracks that can eventually unlock new cars, before Season 3 focuses on the Clan Wars and Season 4 brings back another fan favorite with the Casino.
Here is the overview of KT Racing:
Season 1 – Content launch from September 12, 2024
The Solar Crown competition opens its doors! Once the game is released, the most competitive players will be able to take on a series of races and frantic challenges to level up, collect Solar Points and climb to the top of the leaderboards in the hopes of becoming the next Solar King/Queen. . This first season also includes 60 player levels, 50 Sharps/Streets clan progression levels, and a free 25-level Solar Pass with various rewards including cosmetics and an exclusive car.
Season 2 – Ibiza Town makes its comeback
This second season marks the return of a familiar location that TDU2 fans have known for 13 years: Ibiza (Eivissa in Catalan) is back in TDUSC, more beautiful than ever. Players can explore the city and its outskirts, recreated at a 1:1 scale in the KT Engine, giving players a different and complementary experience to Hong Kong Island, 3 months after the game’s release. The season will be accompanied by an island-exclusive clan progression with 20 new levels, a Solar Pass, new rewards and exclusive cars, including 5 car models revisited for the occasion.
Season 3 – Clan War, a constantly evolving game mode
This third season centers on a clash between the Sharps (whose members consider themselves the elite of sophistication and luxury) and the Streets (provocative and sometimes extreme, looking to make their mark) on Hong Kong Island and Ibiza/Eivissa, with the advent of the clan war. This season also includes 30 new clan progression levels and seasonal content additions.
Season 4 – The Casino, an iconic location in the Unlimited series
The fourth and final season of Year 1 marks the grand return of the Casino, a Test Drive Unlimited 2 fan favorite. This new Solar Crown version of the Casino offers players the chance to wager their virtual currency through a variety of activities including poker and slot machines. In addition to offering 50 player levels, the Casino offers players the opportunity to win exclusive new cars, cosmetics and rewards.
It is understood that, in addition to these seasonal content updates, KT Racing will update the game in conjunction with player feedback. For example, ongoing work will be done on the cameras and steering wheel animations in first-person cockpit views. They also consider fan requests such as real estate, motorcycles and more.
Announced back in 2020, fans of previous games in the series (the last of which came out in early 2010 for PS3 and Xbox 360) have had to wait a long time for any real confirmation of when Solar Crown will release. Initially scheduled for September 2022, KT Racing has been given an additional two years to realize their vision for Test Drive Unlimited.
Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown takes players to Hong Kong Island, with a complete recreation of reality, with a mix of built-up cities and dense wilderness. There will be plenty of fast-paced racing to be found in this game and setting, and players will choose between the Sharp and Street clans as they battle for supremacy on the roads of Hong Kong, but TDU has always been about celebrating cars and the car culture. like racing itself. The intention is for this to be more of a social driving MMO, as opposed to the car bonanza of other open world racers.
Source: press release