During the Nacon Connect stream today, WRC developer KT Racing announced that Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown will be the newest entry in the previously popular series. The first installment since 2012’s Test Drive: Ferrari Racing Legends, this latest game will be hearkening back to the open-world style that made the next-gen sequels so appealing. It’s doing one even better by creating a 1:1 scale map for players to race around.

Creative director Alain Jarniou said of the game “We wanted to give players a variety of things to do and the freedom to progress through the game however they want. So, we developed a new Test Drive Unlimited concept by keeping the DNA of the game, but also evolving the gameplay and game modes to make them more modern and in line with current trends and what today’s players find fun.”

With new developers involved, a lot of the same technology that powers the WRC series will be implemented into Solar Crown. Players can look forward to a similar physics engine that takes different terrain into account. With the game set on a luxurious island, there’s bound to be quite a diverse set of roads to travel.

Jarniou confirmed that the development of Solar Crown has only been active for a few months, so we’re not likely to see the game release in 2020. This means it will likely end up as a PS5 and Xbox Series X game that could potentially launch in 2021. We do have some idea of which cars will be making the cut, at least.

On speaking about the level of customization present in this new game, Jarniou said, “When I play Test Drive Unlimited, I obviously want to buy a Ferrari, Lamborghini, or Bugatti, so it’s a unique world in terms of the cars you can buy.” That seems limited, but the fine print in the teaser trailer confirms Porsche, Dodge, Koenigsegg, and Lamborghini. There will obviously be other popular brands, too.

I’m not sure how an open-world racer will play in the next-generation as similar games are a dime a dozen. There’s still something unique about driving wherever you want in video game form, so there’s a chance Solar Crown recaptures the glory of Unlimited.

Source: YouTube, WCCFTech

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