Following its PC rollout in July, JDM: Japanese Drift Master’s online multiplayer update is launching on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S on 16th September.
As with the PC version, online multiplayer sessions will support up to eight players in lobbies, with cross-platform support between PC and consoles. Players can cruise around the Japan-inspired open world or compete in events including traditional races and drift challenges or head-to-head togue matches.
To mark the launch, developer Gaming Factory is adding two new race events, bringing the total to 17: the Tofuna Downhill and Uphill.
Alongside the online multiplayer, the latest update also rebalances the economy on all platforms, with money rewards increasing by around 30% and reputation XP points doubling when completing events. This change is intended to speed up the progression of unlocking cars and tuning parts.
In a surprise addition, the update will also add a free new car to the roster rarely seen in racing games: the quintessentially Polish FSO Polonez, once ridiculed by Jeremy Clarkson as “the worst car in the world to actually drive.”
It may seem out of place in a Japanese-centric driving game, but it’s a nod to the developer’s Polish heritage.
“It might not be a JDM car, however its importance for Polish culture may be as big as the AE86 was for Japan,” Gaming Factory wrote. “The legacy of Polonez lives to this day.”
After online multiplayer rolls out on consoles next week, the developer plans to add a livery editor to JDM: Japanese Drift Master, which is “rapidly nearing completion.”
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