Ubisoft has announced the third installment of its multi-vehicle-type racing game series The Crew will be called The Crew Motorfest, and is on the slate for a launch later in 2023.
Developed again by Ivory Tower, the third title is set for an interesting change of location. Although it’s still based around a recreation of some of the United States, TCM has shifted from the lower 48 location of the first two games and across to Hawai’i.
That’s specifically the island of O’ahu, which also hosted the action in Test Drive Unlimited and its sequel, but Motorfest will be based on another interpretation of the location rather than a 1:1 replica like TDU.
Billed as the “perfect playground”, players will take their vehicles through the city streets of Honolulu, down the slopes of a volcano, a lush rainforest, curvy mountain roads, or the serene sights of a sunny beach.
“Motorfest” is the heart of the game, a car culture-focused festival settled on the Hawaiian island. Players can explore the island on their own or with their crew and fulfill the “ultimate action driving bucket list through a of series of tailor-made races, themed events, and other unique challenges”. However players choose to enjoy what’s offered, the game promises something for everyone.
Players looking to get involved before the game releases this year, can do so through the Insider Program. This closed test will span across four phases, giving those selected the opportunity to play the game and share feedback, over a special Discord server, before launch.
Each will welcome an “increasing number of players”, targeting specific objectives. The first phases will last several weeks and be exclusive to PC as a means of allowing the team at Ivory Tower to roll out any fixes or new builds as quickly as possible. Console players will be included in the later phases during the lead up to the game’s final release.
The program begins tomorrow, February 1, 2,000 of the most active TC2 players on PC will be chosen to have first crack at TCM. It won’t be the finished thing, of course, and you can expect a lot of work-in-progress assets and environments.
Signing up is as simple as heading over to the Insider Program page, selecting the platform, and logging in to your Ubisoft, PlayStation, or Xbox account. Those selected will receive an email within days, but those that aren’t won’t necessarily miss out entirely as each new phase will target specific groups of players.
Participants will also have the chance to share their feedback through regular surveys, and of course are required to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) to ward off any leaking.
From what we’ve seen so far, TCM is a more concerted effort at taking on the likes Forza Horizon and the upcoming Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown — although murmurings on that title have fallen quiet in recent months, with last July’s 54-second trailer the last time we heard about the game
It certainly has the car list down, with a Ford Bronco, Lamborghini Sian Roadster and Urus, and Shelby Cobra all starring in the early images and teaser video. One thing we haven’t yet seen though is the boats and planes of The Crew 2…
The Crew Motorfest releases in 2023 on the PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series consoles, Xbox One, Windows PC, as well as Amazon Luna. We’ll have more information, and hopefully a clearer release date, as it becomes available.
See more articles on The Crew.
