Why Tokyo Xtreme Racer’s Canadian Release Got Shut Down
After waiting over 18 years for Tokyo Xtreme Racer’s return, fans in Canada are left devastated on Early Access release day.
Despite what appears to be a smooth Early Access rollout for the rest of the world, with player numbers continuing to grow despite the unconventional release time for the rest of the world, Genki appears to have dropped the ball for the Great White North release.
Having waited (like everyone else) for the Steam countdown to announce that TXR is now available for download, Canadians were greeted with a “not available in your region” message instead.
Genki immediately posted on X (formerly Twitter), apologizing for the delay, stating, “… we have found a legal issue in Canada that needs to be cleared before the release of Early Access.”
— Tokyo Xtreme Racer (@Tokyo_Xtreme) January 23, 2025
The problem appears to come down to a copyright dispute over the “Tokyo Xtreme Racer” name in Canada.
The culprit? None other than Throwback Entertainment, a company that’s been on gamers’ bad side for a while now. After they picked up the rights to the “Tokyo Xtreme Racer” name from Crave following bankruptcy, they have been causing headaches ever since.
This led to users, such as maplesyrupghost, expressing their frustration by providing some “feedback” on Throwback’s other Steam games.
As always, legal issues are never simple to resolve, and Genki further explained, “We were confident it would be resolved by now but is unfortunately still in progress.”
While they deal with the legal mess, the “new release date for Canada is yet to be determined.”
Y’all just blue balled Canada
— CHRLY (@CJ_OLIVR) January 23, 2025
In an ideal scenario, Genki would have been a little more open about this with the fans rather than leaving it to the last minute, understandably leaving many fans frustrated.
If we were in Genki’s shoes, we’d likely stick our middle fingers up to Throwback and release the game under its original Japanese name, “Shutokō Battle,” to get around the copyright nonsense. We’re pretty sure most of you would agree!
The team promises to “provide timely updates as the situation develops.” We recommend Canadians follow the game’s official X page to be informed of the latest updates, and we’ll also post here at Drifted to keep you up-to-date.
For now, you’ll need to patiently wait with PlayStation and Xbox console players, who are also eagerly awaiting an update.
It’s not all doom and gloom, though. In the meantime, we’ve got a treat for you.
Our free online browser drifting game, Drift Hunters MAX, just got a huge update, bringing free roam with AI traffic and a competitive “Drift Attack” mode with judging, clipping points, and online leaderboards.
We highly recommend giving it a try. After all, it’s COMPLETELY free to play, with no hidden catches!
Written by Bill Jefferies
Bill is a drifting journalist and photographer who has been part of the Drifted team since 2015. His work extends to various print and online publications, including Wangan Warriors.
As part of the King of Nations team, he traveled extensively for several years, capturing top-tier international drift events worldwide. His hands-on experience, including rebuilding his own Nissan Silvia S15 drift car, gives him unique insights into drift car building and global drift culture.
When not behind the lens or keyboard, Bill can be found browsing classifieds for his next JDM project or shredding virtual tires on popular simulators like Assetto Corsa, CarX, and Forza.
You can learn more about Bill's story here or follow his socials on X (formerly Twitter), Flickr, Facebook, and Instagram.
Rate This Article
(No Ratings Yet)You can use this feature to rate this page. Please be generous, giving a higher rating helps us to create more content like this 🙏
