In a big pre-launch surprise, Ibiza coming to Test Drive Unlimited: Solar Crown
In a big pre-launch surprise, KT Racing has revealed that Ibiza will be coming to Test Drive Unlimited: Solar Crown just three months after launch, as part of the year one content roadmap.
Launching on 12th September, Test Drive Unlimited: Solar Crown will feature a 1:1 recreation of Hong Kong Island to race around, but the announcement that Ibiza will return to the game this year is a massive fan-pleaser – it was the setting for TDU2 13 years ago. Once again, this is a 1:1 recreation, though of the city and its outskirts and not of the full island.
The first two seasons will also include free Solar Pass progression tracks that can eventually unlock new cars, before Season 3 focuses in on the Clan Wars, and Season 4 brings back another fan-favourite with the Casino.
Here’s the breakdown from KT Racing:
Season 1 – Launch content from September 12, 2024
The Solar Crown competition opens its doors! Once the game is released, the most competitive players will be able to embark on a series of races and frantic challenges to climb the ranks, collect Solar Points and climb to the top of the leaderboard in the hope 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 featuring various rewards, including cosmetics and an exclusive car.
Season 2 – Ibiza city 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 splendid than ever. Players will be able to discover the city and its outskirts, recreated at 1:1 scale in the KT Engine, offering 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 revolves around a clash between the Sharps (whose members consider themselves the elite of sophistication and luxury) and the Streets (provocative and sometimes extreme, seeking to make their mark) across Hong Kong Island and Ibiza/Eivissa, with the arrival of the clan war. This season will also feature 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 favorite of Test Drive Unlimited 2 fans. This new Solar Crown version of the Casino will offer players the chance to wager their virtual currency through a variety of activities, including poker and slot machines. In addition to bringing 50 player levels, the Casino will allow players to win exclusive new cars, cosmetics and rewards.
Obviously, alongside these seasonal content updates, KT Racing will be updating the game in tandem with player feedback. There will be ongoing work on the cameras and steering wheel animations in first person cockpit views, for example. They are also considering fan requests like Real Estate, motorcycles and more.
Announced way back in 2020, it’s been a long wait for fans of earlier games in the series – the last of which arrived in the early 2010s for PS3 and Xbox 360 – to have a true confirmation of when Solar Crown will be released. First planned for September 2022, KT Racing has been afforded a further two years to bring their vision for Test Drive Unlimited to fruition.
Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown will take players to Hong Kong Island, featuring a full-sized recreation of reality, with a blend of built up cities and the thick wilderness. There will be plenty of high speed racing to be found within this game and setting, and players will choose between the Sharp and Street clans that vie for supremacy on Hong Kong’s roads, but TDU has always been about celebrating cars and car culture, as much as the racing itself. The intention is for this to be more of a social driving MMO, in contrast to the car bonanza of other open world racers.
Source: press release
