Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown will have a 1:1 scale island

‘There’s no real equivalent [to this series] at this moment’

It’s been almost a decade since Test Drive Unlimited 2, but the island racing series is coming back with a new game in production at KT Racing Studio and Nacon called Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown.

The game’s appearance during today’s Nacon Connect stream didn’t divulge gameplay footage (it’s vague teasers, for the time being), but creative director Alain Jarniou, a developer on the prior TDU games, shared some insights. The international racing championship concept is back for Solar Crown (hence that name), and the team intends for players to have the “freedom to progress” how they want.

KT Racing is striving to keep the “DNA” of Test Drive Unlimited going strong while also “evolving the gameplay and game modes to make them more modern.” (A tricky balancing act, to be sure.) “We wanted to relaunch this great franchise because there’s no real equivalent at this moment.”

He spoke about gravel, asphalt, “lots of customization options” for player avatars, and recreating an island at a 1:1 scale for the sake of “authenticity,” but there isn’t a date or even a release window.

Bugatti, Ferrari, Dodge, Koenigsegg, and Porsche are some of the confirmed names so far.

This one seems pretty far off. Any guesses on which island they’ll recreate?