The new installment in the Test Drive Unlimited series, titled Solar Crown, is expected this year. Developed by Nacon in collaboration with Kilotonn and KT Racing, this game promises a multiplayer driving experience, in an open and diverse environment.
After an initial handling at Gamescom 2023, we had the opportunity to speak with Sébastien Waxin, brand manager at Nacon racing. An ambitious project which should relaunch the Test Drive Unlimited saga.
Geeko – Can you present this new opus of Test Drive Unlimited?
SW – This new Test Drive Unlimited is an open world game, in an open world MMO (massively multiplayer online game). It’s a fairly old franchise, the first was released in 2006 then the second in 2011. We are releasing Solar Crown this year which we are developing with Kylotonn and KT Racing (studios specializing in racing). The goal is to keep the DNA that made the franchise successful, while providing a fresh, modern vision on certain aspects of the game. An open world game therefore, but not just a racing game. It’s a lifestyle-oriented game, with customization where the avatar will be important. There will be a whole customization part of the avatar and the car.
With Solar Crown, we invite you to the island of Hong Kong (reproduced at 1:1 scale) to participate in an event: the Solar Crown race. 1:1 scale, that means that if we take Google maps and the game map, it’s 95% the same thing. There are obviously certain adaptations to keep it fun to play. We have 600 km of roads and 80 square km of surface area. The most interesting thing about Hong Kong is the diversity that the island brings. We all have a very urban vision of the island, with big skyscrapers. It’s true and it’s the entire north side of the island. Then there is the whole south side, which is wild, very natural. It offers a gameplay experience that is super interesting. Because on a territory which is not enormous and which remains reasonable for a video game, we find a diversity of gameplay. We could have more street racing races in the city and much more offroad races in the south with beaches, forests, etc.
Geeko – So you paid particular attention to realism in the game?
SW – Yes absolutely. We’re pushing hard on the realism aspect. We’re not necessarily looking for simulation, because, for this type of game, it wouldn’t make much sense in an open world like that. Having Forza-style mechanics doesn’t make sense in a multiplayer open world. It’s not made for that. We aim for realism. Realism based on the cars for example which all have different physics. Depending on whether it is traction, rear-wheel drive, two-wheel drive, four-wheel drive, depending on the power of the cars, etc. But also a realism of the environment. Whether it’s the type of terrain, the time of day, the weather cycle which is random, players must feel that all of this has a direct impact on driving. If it is on a dry road you will feel more grip and if the road is wet, driving will be more difficult. We are aiming for the realistic aspect with all this physics.
Geeko – We were able to take control of the game at Gamescom, what has changed since 2023
SW – On a global level, there has been a lot of polishing work. It is also a version that has made good progress in terms of optimization and overall graphics. What we showed last year was already a sufficiently advanced product for us to show. If we took a few extra months (it has already been postponed several times), it is to optimize the game as best as possible. It is a massive project. Which, on the scale of Nacon, of KT Racing, is the biggest development project we have had.
It’s also an online game, so the whole “online” notion, with the servers and everything that comes with it, is super important. It’s not from a game design point of view that the game has changed a lot, but really in terms of polish and physics of the cars. Each car has more advanced physics. We also polished things up graphically. And finally, and above all, the changes that we don’t see, the technical changes. Particularly in terms of servers. We did a whole series of playtests where you had to register and we will continue to do them to test the servers.
Also, there has been a lot of research into optimizing the framerate (number of images displayed each second on a screen). We know that 60 fps for gamers is super important. So there were more than ten months focused on optimization and how to get as much framerate as possible.
Geeko – Why did you want to do online only?
SW – Already because we wanted an MMO. The goal is to play with other players, to have a social experience, that’s the goal of Solar Crown. Afterwards, there are reasons which are more technical. This allows you to have more control over cheating. We have control over what is happening and we can react. This is a game that will have updates deployed every three months in terms of content, game mode, and fixes. These will be major updates each time. We’ll talk more about it at the time of release for what’s planned for the first year, but in any case, we need to be online for all that.
Geeko – With this desire for “online only”, are you not afraid of the same scandal as for The Crew? With the closure of the servers.
SW – With the first The Crew, they put the servers offline at the end of the game. And the players complained, rightly so. So it’s a problem to take into account, the end of a game’s life, but we’re not there yet. We are already focusing mainly on the release, which is getting closer. Also, it’s a game that we want to develop in the long term. It feels weird to talk about the ending when the game hasn’t been released. We aim to keep it alive, like a GTA, with updates every three months and community engagement. If possible, we will make updates for ten years. What happened with The Crew, we have it in mind, but we are starting to think about solutions that will prevent it from happening there. Players say “yeah online only, it’s going to be like The Crew” and that’s understandable. This raises the question of when you buy something and you become the owner of an empty box at the end of the game’s life. You lose everything and as a result, you are dispossessed of your progress, etc. We are already focusing a lot on the launch and post-launch with the first updates. And then when the end of the product’s life comes, we will find solutions to avoid reaching that point.
Geeko – Who says multiplayer, says competition, do you think about E-sport?
SW – E-sport? No. There is a competition dimension to the game. With each update, there will be a race, the Solar Crown. A Solar King or Queen will end up the winner, the player who is the best over the three months. They will have exclusive rewards like cars. There will be competition, but not competitive E-sport style, with cash prizes, etc.
Geeko – Three years for the card… How did the rest of the development go?
SW – I have a fun story about the creation of the map. When we broadcast visuals, players found the exact point on Google streetview (laughs). The 1:1 dimension of the map is the strong point of the game, so we have to be as precise as possible. Afterwards, the rest of the development is all about game design and ensuring that game mechanics fit together well. The story and the immersion too, because there will be two clans that we will be able to join. So, set up the story, model all the cars (more than 100 cars at launch), give the right dimensions, the right sounds, etc. All this to get to the level of quality where we are today with the play of lights, the reflections, the night driving, it’s a huge work of game design and artistic direction.
Geeko – You talk to us about immersion, sound has an important place in the game, can you tell us more?
SW – To promote immersion, you need good sound. Sound is of capital importance, especially when it comes to cars. Every car has its noise, especially sports cars. Therefore, you have to take into account the noise of the environment and the car. All of this adds up to something that was super important for us in development. It is also possible to chill out by just listening to the radio. We know that some players do it, just driving while listening to music from the radios, like on GTA for example. We have six thematic radio stations with ten hours of music in the bookstore. We have bookstores to have mass and we have more qualitative things to want to listen to the radios. We work with suppliers where we can use their entire catalog and we will take what we like. We don’t do song contracts.
In terms of immersion, we also have details specific to Test Drive Unlimited. The indicators lower the window, for convertibles, the animation. All of this is validated by the manufacturers, like the sound. To make it as realistic as possible. When I talk about immersion, we also have to talk about the social aspect. The social dimension is very important. When you start a game, you start in your suite at the Solar Hotel. Each player has one. You come down from your room, you go through the lobby which is like a public square where you meet other players. This is the social dimension of the game. Social hubs of which there are several, the hotel, the clans, the concessions. When you want to change your car, you have to go to car dealers where you can visit, choose and test the cars beforehand. All this with other players around you.
Geeko – What was the biggest development challenge?
SW – There was the map which took us a lot of time, but the biggest challenge was getting everything to fit together correctly. These are also technical challenges, on server optimization. A project that has such a large scale, and just making it all work together is a challenge. Afterwards, we’ll see how it works when there are thousands of players (laughs).
Geeko – You were telling us about clans, is this a new specificity of the game?
SW – Yes. The goal is to have double progression in the game. Player progression and clan level progression. The clan is the idea of having a game within the game. You have to defend your clan. As time goes on, there will be new clan-related challenges. It’s a way to liven up the game and not just go from one race to the next. You feel like you’re part of a family.
Geeko – When is the release due?
SW – So probably the information that players have been waiting for the most for 4 years (laughs). We’re trying not to have any leaks at the moment. The game has been in development for 6 years. Just recreating Hong Kong took more than three years. The release date is September 12, 2024.
Geeko – And the future? Are you already thinking about it? Will there be other licenses or new racing games?
SW – With Test Drive Unlimited, the future is to launch the game (laughs). And then to make updates every three months, for at least several years. Afterwards, we also launched a game called Endurance Motorsport Series, more focused on competitive racing on the circuit. That has already been announced, and we also have MXGP, the motocross world championship. Racing-wise, that’s the future.
In summary, Test Drive Unlimited: Solar Crown aims to be an immersive and realistic experience. By combining the freedom of an open world with a unique multiplayer setting and many new features, Nacon wants to hit hard. The game will be released on September 12, 2024 on PC and New Gen consoles only.
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