Real estate lets you browse, buy and sell houses on an interactive tablet
Extensive interior customisation lets you place furniture anywhere
Friends’ cars will appear on driveways
Customisable garages can display up to eight cars
Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown’s Season 8 update will mark the long-awaited return of real estate and customisable houses, lifestyle elements that were staples of previous games in the series.
During Nacon Racing’s latest News from the Pits show, a deep dive video presented by Community Manager Alex VII and Creative Director Guillaume Guinet revealed how the real estate aspect will work while showcasing the extensive customisation options for houses.
“We didn’t want to just copy houses in Test Drive Unlimited 1 and 2. We had to do something larger. We had to do something that’s more engaging for the players,” said community manager Alex VII.
Interactive real estates
In Solar Crown, Hong Kong Island and Ibiza will have a real estate agent business you can visit to browse, buy or sell houses. These also act as hubs you can join with your friends.
While visiting the interactive estate agent, you can browse available houses on an interactive tablet, before scrolling through and signing a contract when buying a house. Alex VII claims this will be “the most immersive implementation of real estate agency in a Test Drive Unlimited game.”
KT Racing also hopes to implement a dynamic pricing system, where you can buy properties as an investment and sell them later to make a profit.
It’s not yet clear how many houses will be available to purchase at launch, but it’s worth tempering expectations since “times are difficult at KT Racing,” with Nacon filing for insolvency. “We are not 1,000 people working on Test Drive, so we have to prioritise. And we have prioritised the customisation,” said Guinet.
Five Ibiza properties were shown on a tablet. Some will be unique, while others will be “clones of others but with different layouts.”
Gameplay footage shown during the presentation explores a luxury beach house in southwest Ibiza with a sea view in the same location as a construction site currently in the game. The developer explained that another house located in Ibiza will have a similar exterior design but will be on a lake with a boardwalk garden.
“When you brought your friends over [in Test Drive Unlimited 2], there wasn’t much to see or do with them,” Alex VII explained. “That’s changing a lot with Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown.”
Unlike in Test Drive Unlimited 2, your friend’s cars will appear on the driveway when they visit your house. This will depend on the size of the house, with driveway spots accommodating between two and eight cars.
Extensive interior customisation shown
The level of customisation promises to be a “night and day difference” between Test Drive Unlimited 2 and Solar Crown.
Customisation for home interiors looks impressively comprehensive, with the ability to place furniture anywhere from the kitchen, living room and bathroom, to the outdoor patio. There are also interior decoration options for changing the flooring, walls and kitchen countertops.
A wealth of furniture options are shown, from chairs to tables and lighting, alongside in-house radio stations.
With KT Racing aiming to “push the boundaries of customisation,” finishes are modifiable too, allowing you to change a sofa material or wall surface. In theory, it means that no two player houses will be the same.
There are some limitations, however. Building exteriors can’t be painted due to technical limitations, and customisation options aren’t accessible while other players are visiting your house.
Garages are also fully customisable. These are limited to eight cars, which can be freely positioned and rotated if you don’t max out that limit. KT Racing hopes to let players interact with each other’s cars on driveways and in garages.
Privacy options will restrict who can visit your house, whether it’s limited to friends or open to any player in the same online session.
Cut scenes will be more prominent than before too, depicting actions such as signing contracts at the estate agent, furniture being delivered overnight and entering or exiting houses.
Houses were originally set to arrive in Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown in July this year, but have since been delayed. A release window was not confirmed, but KT Racing teases that the next reveal is scheduled for spring 2027.
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