It’s a big day for Test Drive Unlimited fans, with Solar Crown’s Season 2 update taking players back to TDU2’s Ibiza Town in a free map expansion. Alongside the new map, the update also brings new cars, a new Solar Pass and a slew of quality-of-life improvements.
Beyond that, Season 3 was set to introduce a new ‘Clan War’ mode with competitive live events plus 30 additional clan levels to unlock. However, these plans have now changed.
In response to Solar Crown’s criticisms, KT Racing has postponed the Clan War to focus on new features that “speak to fans of the series” and “make sure TDU truly becomes TDU again.”
“Our priority will be to make sure TDU truly becomes TDU again”
“We’re not stopping here. After this new season on TDUSC, of course, many improvements and a lot of new content are coming. We’re working on some improvements continuously as much as possible,” Creative Director Alain Jarniou said in a developer diary video.
“But there are also the next seasons, and particularly Season 3, which has already been announced with the Clan War feature. But we also saw your feedback. We have listened to and read a lot of comments from the TDU community.”
“What’s important for us is to sit down with you and clearly tell you that our objective is to fix TDU as it should be but also as the community expects it to be. What we have decided for now for Season 3 is to postpone the Clan War feature that was planned to adjust Season 3’s content. Because for us, the most important is to keep the identity of TDU, to address the questions and requests from our community.”
“There are issues that have been raised and with which we fully agree. We need to make adjustments. We need to bring content to the game that meets the expectations of the players: the TDU fanbase. We want to focus as quickly as possible on this content and improvements for TDU.”
“The Ibiza Season 2 that we just introduced will be released as planned. But after that, our priority will be to make sure TDU truly becomes TDU again. There are lots of improvements we have discussed with our community that we wish to make before we can offer, for example, the Clan Warfare.”
“So when the next season, after Season 2, the focal point will be on fixing the gameplay. Many things still need to improve in TDU; whether it involves the lobbies, the gameplay itself, AI difficulty, we will continue to make improvements. Many issues have been raised, and they need to be fixed as quickly as possible.”
“We see the criticism, and it hurts”
Released in September, Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown had a notoriously troubled launch, with server connection issues and graphical glitches plaguing the game. Patch updates have resolved some of these issues, but several core series features are still missing. Season 3 aims to rectify that.
“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,” Jarniou continued.
“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.”
“So, fixing the gameplay, adding new features, this will come with Season 3 and throughout the season to have a TDU experience, let’s say, improved, a better, enhanced TDU experience.”
No further details were revealed, so it remains to be seen what these new features will be. One of the most requested features is real estate. A series staple, previous TDU games let you buy and customise houses, apartments and yachts. In Solar Crown, you live in a hotel, but you can’t own properties.
Previously, KT Racing confirmed that buyable houses will return to Solar Crown at some point. “It’s something that marked TDU’s history and we’re definitely going to work on this for the future of Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown.”
However, houses are unlikely to be part of Season 3 as they weren’t included in the year one roadmap. Motorcycles are also being considered, leveraging KT Racing’s experience with the TT Isle of Man: Ride on the Edge games.
Missions are another missing feature in Solar Crown. While Solar Crown focuses on races, previous TDU games featured side missions like transporting cars and picking up hitchhikers. With KT Racing focusing on restoring core features, missions could potentially return to Solar Crown in Season 3, but nothing is confirmed yet.
Originally, Season 3 was set to launch on 25th March 2025, but it’s unclear if the release date will change with KT Racing postponing the Clan War. Casinos were also set to return in June 2025 as part of Season 4 according to the year one roadmap, but it’s unknown whether these plans have changed.
What improvements are you hoping to see in Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown Season 3? Let us know in the comments below.
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