Ubisoft has announced the third installment of The Crew series. Developed by series curator Ivory Tower, The Crew Motorfest is based on what the studio describes as a “one-of-a-kind festival” of all things, and is set on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. This made The Crew Motorfest the franchise’s first time to leave the continental United States. His two previous games featured a scaled-down version of the United States, stretching from New York to San Francisco.
The Crew Motorfest would also be a potentially compelling return to the highly influential Test Drive Unlimited setting of 2006. This is his pioneering MMO-inspired racer from developer Eden Games that laid the foundation for the genre today. However, this link should not be taken as accidental. Test Drive Unlimited is actually an important part of The Crew’s roots not related to Ubisoft. In fact, Ivory Tower was founded by former Eden Games developers, including Test Drive Unlimited game director Stéphane Beley. Mr. Beley, senior at Ivory Tower and his creative director, seems well aware that his longtime racing fans may be tying the two games together.
“
“I was very proud when I first started the Test Drive Unlimited project,” Beley told IGN. “It was certainly very innovative at the time. Recreating Hawaii at the time was really great for everyone.”
“I decided to revisit the Big Island of Hawaii with The Crew Motorfest…I wanted to help you get a feel for Hawaii with the latest technology. It’s a beautiful island. It was a good choice.This island is perfect for enjoying one of the most beautiful places on earth.There is a lot of diversity to explore.”
Crew Motorfest riffs on Oahu promise a wide range of racing environments, including Honolulu’s dense city streets, deep rainforests, winding mountain passes, volcanic slopes and idyllic beaches. However, unlike Test Drive Unlimited, The Crew Motorfest isn’t his one-on-one recreation of the entire island of Oahu.
“It’s not one-for-one, but we took all the key points in Hawaii and decided to put them together,” says Beley. “You have the shape of Oahu, Hawaii, but you have the essence of it. And you’ll find yourself doing things and hanging out with friends on this big island.The biggest island I’ve done.
Beley also noted that the range of environments in both “The Crew” and “The Crew 2” called for a more procedural approach to building the world, but this example gave Oahu a more idiosyncratic focus. The hit allowed The Crew Motorfest artists to “touch every kilometer,” he explains.
Ivory Tower has confirmed that there will be hundreds of cars at The Crew Motorfest, but this is in addition to the additions introduced in The Crew 2 (released almost five years ago in mid-2018). It does not mean that the vehicle type has been omitted.
I call it Motorfest. I wouldn’t call it Carfest,” he says Beley. “For me, it is important that all motors can be represented in this experience. I am referring to the culture of cars, but there are also many stories about ships and planes, from ships on the water, from the air by plane. , you can experience this beautiful world from different perspectives.”
Crew Motorfest is set to launch this year on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC (via both the Epic Games Store and Ubisoft Store). It can also be accessed with a Ubisoft+ subscription for PC and Amazon Luna. Ivory Tower has yet to confirm a specific arrival date, but if you can’t wait, keep an eye out for what Ivory Tower calls the “Insider Program” during the early access period. tomorrow. successful registrant Participate in a closed test of The Crew Motorfest, which is divided into several phases. The first phase will be limited to PCs for logistical reasons. The development team can iterate faster on PC, but promises later phases will be available on consoles.
The Crew Motorfest announcement and move to the iconic island of Oahu lead to some interesting open world racing matchups this year. Fellow French publisher Nacon also plans to revive the Test Drive Unlimited brand in 2023 with his Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown. Developed by Kylotonn, Solar Crown is his 1:1 recreation of Hong Kong.
Luke is a game editor in IGN’s Sydney office. You can chat with him on Twitter @MrLukeReilly.
