Brand new game mode “Factory Run” debuts in this update
April 6, 2023 – In the mid-season update to KartRider: Drift, Nexon continues to fine-tune the racing experience by implementing improvements based on feedback from its global player base. Since last month’s Season 1 launch, which added Playstation and Xbox consoles to the cross-play mix, KartRider: Drift has been the top free-to-play game on Xbox.
In his Developer Blog post released yesterday, KartRider: Drift Game Director Jaeyun Cho emphasized that the development team has been diligent in reviewing gameplay feedback, understanding player behaviors and adjusting key in-game systems with balance and fairness in mind. A comprehensive list of changes in the Mid-Season 1 Update can be found online. Highlights include:
Kart Upgrade Costs
The Kart Upgrade system allows racers to adjust the driving performance of karts and fine-tune them to achieve maximum performance. After the patch, the amount of earnable in-game currency (called Lucci) required to reset a kart’s gears has been adjusted to 5,000 regardless of rank. Previously, it would have cost 7,000 Lucci to reset a kart at Fine rank and 14,000 Lucci to reset a kart at Rare rank. These cost reductions will allow racers to experiment with multiple karts and tuning variations.
Kart Balancing
Also included in this mid-season update, players will be able to bring out the true uniqueness of each of their owned karts. To address this, Director Cho stated that the five karts earned through License system missions and Racing Pass have now been given attributes to help differentiate. “This is intended to maintain the fairness of the existing karts, while creating a bit of variety in the performance of the karts you can earn,” noted Director Cho. Specific karts were called out in the Developer Blog post.
New Content
As part of Nexon’s commitment to improving the players’ experience a brand new game mode has been implemented into yesterday’s patch. As mentioned by Director Cho in his blog post, “Factory Run” pits a team of four players who compete against 36 AI racers on a “Factory”-themed course (which is the setting for Season 1). Based on Item Mode, players race normally in “Factory Run” by collecting items to use against opponents. If overtaken by enough AI racers, they will be turned into an android kart, whose new goal is to knock former teammates out of the race. It’s thrilling and fast-paced, and gives KartRider: Drift racers a new opportunity to test their drifting skills and master the chaos.
In closing, Game Director Cho stated, “We’re always looking for new ways to keep racers entertained by gathering feedback from racers across the globe. Following the new modes featured for this current season, we’re also excited to introduce more themed content in Season 2, which kicks off next month.”
Patch Notes for the April 6 mid-season game update can be found here, and the Developer Blog post from KartRider: Drift Game Director Jaeyun Cho is available to read here.
Be sure to watch KartRider: Drift’s Twitch channel and link your Nexon account for an exclusive set of three all new Twitch drops: the Witchy Sophia decal, Airi Emoticon Pack, and the F724 Kart are available to watch-and-earn now.
KartRider: Drift is available to download and play for free on PlayStation, Xbox, Steam, Nexon Launcher, iOS App Store and Google Play.
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About KartRider: Drift
KartRider: Drift is Nexon’s online, multiplayer kart racing game, taking inspiration from earlier titles in the phenomenally successful KartRider franchise, which delivers drift-fueled racing action, multiple game modes, and deep kart and character customization in stunning Unreal® Engine 4 graphics. Available on Steam, the Nexon Launcher, iOS and Android mobile devices, as well as on Xbox and PlayStation consoles, KartRider: Drift offers free-to-play, online cross-platform play and progression to challenge friends regardless of chosen platform.
Launched in 2004, the original KartRider was the first title in Nexon’s legendary kart racing series, and subsequently gained huge popularity in Asia and beyond, amassing more than 380 million players during the nineteen years since release. As a franchise, KartRider has established a strong brand across Asian markets and a huge eSports presence in Asia, with an official league starting in 2005. It continues to be the longest-running eSports league to date.
