JDM: Japanese Drift Master is set to release in Spring 2025, and as 2024 wraps up, the developers wanted to give a production update and give players an idea of what will come in the full release.
Currently, a free demo for the game is up on Steam for players to check out. JDM: Rise of the Scorpion is a prologue, and it follows the story of a high schooler named Hatori. This story introduces key characters and won’t be available in the main game, so players will need to download the prologue to see it all play out.
According to the production update, there’s been a lot of feedback from the demo that’s impacted the development of the game.
Because of this feedback, the team is focusing on two main areas of the game before it’s released: performance and input devices. For performance, the goal is to get the game running smoother on lower-end GPUs and even better on mid-/high-end GPUs.
They’re also adding support for hardware that’s popular with racing sim lovers. This includes steering wheels, pedal panels, shifters, and handbrakes across a variety of brands. While it’s nearly impossible to test and provide support for every single brand and every single pairing, the team’s goal is to support as much as possible in a range of prices.
When it comes to new updates about the game, the team shared a detailed look into the open world of JDM: Japanese Drift Master. While the game takes place in the fictional area of Guntama, it’s heavily based on Japan. So much so that there are landmarks that are given 1-1 comparisons with their in-game counterparts, which are shared below:
Additionally, the open-world exploration may feel different from other games. In a more sim-like fashion, players will need to really pay attention to how they drive through Guntama. Many Japanese roads are narrow and winding, and JDM: Japanese Drift Master wanted to do that justice. Players won’t be speeding down every single road they see, and shifting gears, braking correctly, and navigating these tight areas are important.
Another area of the production update for JDM: Japanese Drift Master was tuning. The game will have tuning options for every car, and new options are being created every day. For now, the team released a video to give fans an idea of what it looks like:
JDM: Japanese Drift Master will launch for PC in Spring 2025.
