Solar Crown Delivers A Masterclass In Launch Failure

Day one of Test Drive Unlimited: Solar Crown early access is going about as smoothly as driving a drift missile with chopped springs down a potholed road.

With 13 years since the release of the last game in the franchise, Test Drive Unlimited 2, KT Racing’s latest highly-anticipated open-world racer promises an immersive experience in a virtual Hong Kong.

However, the return after the long hiatus hit a major speed bump, leaving fans raging and the developers scrambling.

“Always Online” Becomes “Never Online”

As the clock struck 08:00 AM UTC on September 5th, 2024, the game’s required “always online” feature quickly became “never online,” with thousands of players unable to access the virtual world they’d been itching to explore for months.

Those who paid extra for the $89.99 early access ‘Gold Edition’ have experienced severe server and connectivity issues, preventing them from accessing the game they paid for. This raises further questions about the trend of “always online” requirements in modern gaming, which could’ve avoided the bulk of the issues.

The Kylotonn (KT Racing) development team acknowledged these problems and stated in their official statement that they are “working tirelessly” to resolve them.

⚠️ We are aware of connection/servers issues for some of the players. Our team is actively working to resolve this issue as soon as possible. Thank you for your understanding! 🙏

— Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown (@testdrive) September 5, 2024

The Fans Aren’t Holding Back Their Disappointment

The r/tdu3 subreddit soon filled with angry players who had taken time off work to enjoy the game’s early access.

Instead, they found themselves sharing error codes, with many getting increasingly irate at their inability to shred their virtual tires, with some viewing their opinions more politely than others. Needless to say, most of the current comments could do with censoring!

The reviews on the Steam store are no better, but at least they provide a more “safe-for-work” perspective on the current vibe.

With over 12 hours passing since the official release time, the team issued the following update at 09:12 PM UTC:

“UPDATE: We are seeing significant improvements with the solutions implemented over the past hour. Although some issues persist, the quality of services is improving across all regions. We continue to work on fixes and monitor any issues you may encounter.”

The devs trying to fix the servers
byu/DarkoShad0w intdu3

This further sums up the fans’ confidence in the teams’ capabilities.

We Suspect It’s Not Going Great Behind The Scenes

The cringe-worthy rollout continues following workers at Kylotonn going on strike last week. Employees complained about plenty of issues with TDU: SC’s developer, Nacon, including: “hiring, turn over, a general lack of information about the future of our companies and the productions.” The dispute has undoubtedly contributed to the rocky launch.

What Happens Next For ‘Gold Edition’ Buyers?

The launch issues are especially frustrating for die-hard fans who paid an eye-watering $279.89 for the top-tier version (since the Collector’s Box and Gold Edition were only available separately). Those who spent nearly $300 have been met with the same inability to play as everyone else.

KT Racing’s silence on compensation or bonus offerings for disappointed fans only makes things worse. The lack of communication about potential make-goods for those who paid extra raises serious questions about their approach to customer satisfaction.

Still, it’s not too late for them to try and turn things around in this regard. We fully appreciate they’ve (hopefully) got all hands on deck right now!

Lessons From Solar Crown’s Stalled Start

This disastrous launch shows why “always online” requirements often cause more problems than they solve, especially when the proper infrastructure isn’t in place. Even the fans had some tongue-in-cheek tips for the team:

No worries guys, it was unavoidable, not your fault.

I hope that one day someone will invent something that allows you to play a game without being connected at all times to a server when you want to play on your own.

I would call it “offline mode” 😊

— Xabier Sánchez (@Heikki360) September 5, 2024

The team unintentionally provided a perfect example of how not to launch a game, turning what should have been an exciting return for the franchise into a “what not to do” for the rest of the industry.

As it stands, Test Drive Unlimited: SC has proven to be more about “unlimited frustration” than anything. While the game shows potential, these initial problems need to be fixed quickly for it to have any chance of living up to the expectations set by earlier games in the series.

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