Publisher Nacon Studios announced that it has delayed Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown. The announcement was made via a blog update on the racing game’s Steam page entry. Originally planned for a September 22 release date, it will now release sometime in 2023.
The reasons for the delay are just about what you’d expect. If the publisher kept to the original release window the final product would not have the polish it needs. This delay is to assure that Solar Crown doesn’t end up disappointing fans who are looking forward to it. Given that this is the first Test Drive Unlimited game since 2011, a poorly received product would not be a good look.
Delays are never popular decisions, but most people understand why they are so important. We’ve seen cases when ambitious open-world games like Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown were not delayed far enough, and the results speak for themselves. The likes of No Man’s Sky and Cyberpunk 2077 come to mind. It’s better to wait and release a good game than to rush and disappoint everyone.
Closed beta
Further down in the blog post, Nacon confirms that it has plans for a closed beta. It states that it is currently “working on a schedule” for the closed beta, although a specific release date is not given. Once live, this beta will give some players the opportunity to try the game ahead of launch and provide feedback on what can be improved.
Additionally, Nacon stated it is cancelling both the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions of Solar Crown. From a PC player’s perspective, this is slightly good news. Although it’s never ideal to see fewer people get the opportunity to play a game, this will likely lead to the PC version being better. Nacon itself states that this decision is necessary to “maximize the overall quality of the game.”
