Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown was announced over two years ago, signalling the long-awaited return of the fabled open-world racing series. Despite this, we still haven’t seen a single snippet of actual gameplay. Mercifully, this could finally change this week.
Will Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown gameplay be shown at Nacon Connect?
Now that Summer Games Fest has wrapped up to fill the void of E3 this year, Nacon Connect is airing later this week; an annual online presentation where the French publisher showcases upcoming games. This year, TDUSC will be one of Nacon Connect's headline titles.
TDUSC made an appearance at last year’s Nacon Connect, where the Hong Kong Island setting was announced for the first time, but no gameplay was shown.
A sequel to 2011’s Test Drive Unlimited 2, TDUSC is set in a vast open world covering over 30 square miles in a 1:1 recreation of Hong Kong Island. While this is smaller in scale than TDU2's Oahu and Ibiza maps, we’re hoping TDUSC's location will be more densely detailed.
Originally scheduled for a 2022 release, TDUSC was recently delayed to 2023. The last-gen PS4 and Xbox One versions were also cancelled. A specific release date is yet to be confirmed, but we may find out when TDUSC is coming out at Nacon Connect this week.
Delaying TDUSC was the right call. This is easily Kylotonn’s most ambitious game yet - a project that is huge in scope. Crucially, the extra development time will enable Kylotonn to apply extra polish and prevent it from being a bug-ridden mess like Test Drive Unlimited 2, which was crippled with server issues at launch - not ideal for an online-focused racing game.
Considering it’s been over ten years since the last TDU game, Kylotonn will need to work hard to entice new players and lure them away from more established open-world racers like Need for Speed and Forza Horizon. Another buggy launch like TDU2 would risk writing off the series for good.
Releasing TDUSC next year also means it won’t be overshadowed by Need for Speed and the second Forza Horizon 5 expansion, giving it a better chance of standing out.
Nacon Connect is the perfect opportunity for Kylotonn to generate hype for TDUSC and show us some actual gameplay footage. So far, Kylotonn’s has showcased its vision of luxury lifestyles, casino gambling, and exotic supercars in TDUSC with CGI trailers. We still don’t know what this vision looks like in-game. Not showing any TDUSC gameplay at this week’s Nacon Connect would be a sorely missed opportunity.
TDUSC is set to have a strong showing at Nacon Connect, with Kylotonn teasing on social media the showcase will be “quite delectable.” This has raused our expectations, so let’s hope Kylotonn can deliver on that promise and give us our first proper look at the new era of Test Drive Unlimited.
WRC Generations
Joining TDUSC at Nacon Connect will be WRC Generations, also in development by Kylotonn. Launching in October on all formats, WRC Generations is the French studio’s final officially-licensed WRC game before Codemasters takes over the reins next year.
Marking a new era of rallying, WRC Generations will feature the new Rally1 hybrid cars that debuted in the 2022 WRC season. With a 1.6-litre turbo engine and a 100kW electric motor producing over 500 hp combined, the Rally1 hybrid cars are more powerful than their predecessors and should be a lot of fun to drive in WRC Generations.
We’re hoping to see the next-generation Rally1 hybrid cars in action in WRC Generations at Nacon Connect after the announcement trailer mixed live-action video with gameplay footage of the relocated Sweden stage.
Nacon Connect start date
Nacon Connect will be streamed on the company’s YouTube and Twitch channels on 7 July at 6pm BST/7pm CEST/10am PT. Be sure to tune in for a fresh glimpse and new details on TDUSC and WRC Generations. A total of 17 games will be shown at the event, including a few surprises.