New Test Drive Is So Bad Players Get A Free Car As An Apology

Earlier this year, Test Drive Unlimited: Solar Crown was released in a pretty bad state. People complained about bugs, broken servers, and other serious issues across console and PC. Things have improved a bit since then, but the game is still in a rough place. As an apology for all this, players are being given a single free car.

Test Drive Unlimited: Solar Crown, which had three different release dates depending on how much money you spent on it, arrived in September to negative reviews from critics and players. For some who forked over nearly $100, for the fanciest version that provided the earliest access, the game was basically unplayable due to server issues for days. Other players shared videos of physics and graphical bugs. In other words, Solar Crown’s launch was a big mess, and now, for those early players, the developers are offering a free (digital) Porsche as an apology, alongside a large update.

On November 4, Test Drive publisher Nacon and developer KT Racing posted an update to Steam thanking players for their “patience and support.” And to help win people back, those who logged into Solar Crown before October 12 will automatically receive the “Adventurer” edition of the 1986 Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe after Season 2 launches.

Meanwhile, Nacon and KT Racing announced that on Tuesday the second major patch for TDU Solar Crown will be available on all platforms. This patch is focused on improving stability and performance on Xbox, PS5, and PC. The patch also promises to fix many of the server login issues players have been encountering since September.

“Over the past few weeks, we’ve worked hard to roll out multiple maintenance phases and hotfixes aimed at enhancing the game,” explained Nacon. “We know there’s still work to be done, and we hear you. Please know that your feedback is invaluable, and our development team is fully dedicated to addressing the issues you’re encountering as quickly as possible, while also refining features to ensure a smoother, more enjoyable gaming experience for everyone.”

Will a free car and the promise of more fixes be enough to win players over? I’m not sure. So far, the game’s Steam review rating is still standing at Mostly Negative. So there’s still a lot of work to be done if Nacon and KT Racing want to turn this car around.

Here are the full patch notes for Test Drive Unlimted Solar Crown’s new major update: