‘Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown’ Offers Free DLC As “Compensation” For Poor Launch State – But Only To Players Who Bought The Game’s ‘Gold Edition’
In a desperate attempt to ease up fan frustrations, the developers behind Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown is attempting to make amends for the game’s poor launch state by giving players a free DLC pack – but sadly, this offer feel more like an insult motivated by a desire to alleviate the backlash instead of an actual apology, as this new content is only being provided to players who bought the game’s Gold Edition.
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For those unaware, when it launched on September 12th, the latest entry in the Test Drive Unlimited franchise did so in an absolutely abysmal state.
Lacking content, requiring a constant internet connection, and existing in what many described as a state of ‘technical limbo’, Solar Crown was widely written off as one of the most disappointing releases of 2024 (and that’s not just a personal opinion – the game currently holds a ‘Mostly Negative‘ rating on Steam based on 3,871 reviews.
And in the ostensible hope of repairing their relationship with players, publisher Nacon and developer KT Racing recently launched a huge patch, its changes including “improved game stability”, “AI improvements”, and various bug fixes.
Further, the Solar Crown team also announced that they would be giving players “launch compensation” in the form of a DLC pack whose contents include “5 ‘Pioneers of the Solar Crown’ premium stickers” as well as a brand new car, the “Adventurer’ off-road edition of the 1986 Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe”.
However, as noted above, rather than being made available to all players, the pack is only being “given to all Gold Edition players who have played the game before October 12th”.
✨ Launch compensation is unveiled:
— Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown (@testdrive) November 4, 2024
The Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe “Adventurer” Edition from 1986, along with a pack of 5 ‘Pioneers of the Solar Crown’ stickers, will be given to all Gold Edition players who played the game before October 12th.
This new car will join your Hong… pic.twitter.com/ZY7sStbGtB
Suffice to say, Nacon and KT Racing’s redemption arc is not off to a good start, as players are far from happy with the devs’ perceived indifference to their non-premium-edition playerbase.
Replying to the DLC announcement on Twitter, fan of the franchise @GaryLGray declared, “This is terrible. Not worth the state of the game in any way.”
Another player, @JoshFL321, expressed his disappointment by questioning, “So, a reskinned 4WD version of a car we already have, delivered four months after launch, is the compensation?”
“Guys at this point, a token to buy a car of our choice would be more appropriate,” he then criticized “Most of us effected by the launch problems are either level 60 by now or have left the game already. If you’re gonna give us something and we’re still here playing, give us something we can use…a fast expensive car.”
Likewise, @its_wraith_ asserted, “Whomever thought that this was ‘enough’ clearly didn’t get the point.”
“What an absolute joke,” he continued. “This is not enough. Refund the difference between standard and gold, refund the entire amount, or figure something else out.”
With a rich history spanning nearly 40 years, one hopes that KT Racing will listen to fan complaints regarding Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown, lest this entry lead the franchise to losing a wheel and going off the road for the foreseeable future.
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