Shop sim racing equipment
Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown Season 3 was originally set to add a ‘Clan Warfare’ mode this month. However, these plans are being shelved, with KT Racing instead focusing on new features that resonate with fans in response to criticism.
More details about Season 3 will be revealed this week during the publisher’s Nacon Connect show airing on 6th March at 7pm CET / 10am PT / 6pm GMT.
Ahead of the show, Nacon has teased at least four new cars coming in Season 3, previewed in screenshot teasers and engine sound samples.
Judging from the screenshots, the new cars appear to be the Ferrari La Ferrari, DeLorean DMC 12, Porsche 918 Spyder and Dodge Viper, but their identities have yet to be officially confirmed. However, it’s worth noting that the Porsche 918 Spyder is already in the game, so this could be a new tuned variant.
Alongside new cars, Season 3 is set to bring some welcome new features that will hopefully help Solar Crown recover from its disastrous launch.
Are car delivery missions returning to Test Drive Unlimited?
Several fan-favourite features were missing when Solar Crown launched last September, resulting in an open-world racer that feels unfinished and falls short of its potential. KT Racing aims to rectify this. In response to fan requests, the next season will add new features that “speak to fans of the series.”
“Our priority will be to make sure TDU truly becomes TDU again,” KT Racing’s Alain Jarniou said last year when discussing future plans. “It’s not just about fixing. It’s also about bringing new features. Features that will speak to fans of the series, the TDU series.”
“I think it’s important for the community and also for us because we want to make the best TDU possible. We see the criticism, and it hurts. And we, just as much as the community, want the game to move forward in the right direction.”
A dialogue snippet in the teaser hints that car delivery missions could return in Season 3. A staple of previous Test Drive Unlimited games, these missions saw you attempt to deliver a car to a destination in exchange for a cash reward without damaging it. Denting the delivery car or driving off-road would penalise you, with the mission failing if you damaged it too much.
“Here are the keys,” the voiceover says. “I hope you have a good explanation for this.” The latter line could be a failed mission response after damaging a delivery car.
Another highly requested feature is buyable houses. Test Drive Unlimited is as much a lifestyle simulator as it is a driving game, with the ability to buy luxury houses to store your exotic car collections. This feature is absent in Solar Crown, with players staying at the Solar Hotel instead.
KT Racing is considering adding houses, but it’s not clear when. Houses were not part of the year one roadmap, but the French studio said it’s a feature it’s “definitely going to work on” for the future.
However, one of the most requested features is an offline mode. Server issues made Solar Crown inaccessible at launch, and fans have been requesting an offline mode ever since.
With Ubisoft also unveiling The Crew Motorfest’s new season this week and Forza Horizon 5 releasing on PS5 next month, Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown’s next season update will be pivotal for revitalising the playerbase.
Season 3 was originally due to launch on 25th March, but this date could change. We’ll hopefully find out the release date at Nacon Connect. The update follows Season 2, which added a new location set in Ibiza and several new cars last December.
After Season 3, Season 4 was originally set to introduce a casino on 25th June according to the original year one roadmap, but these plans may have changed.
What are you hoping to see in Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown Season 3? Let us know in the comments below.
Chat with the Community
Sign Up To CommentIt's completely Free