LEGO 2K Drive: Everything We Know

1 year ago 187

Visual Concepts and publisher 2K have announced LEGO 2K Drive, a brand new open-world triple-A driving adventure game for consoles and PC. This comes as a bit of a surprise to us, given the fact that LEGO Group wasn’t to lift the embargo until March 23rd (thanks, IGN). But in light of this slight slip-up, we do have plenty of details on 2K’s latest endeavour, at least. And what’s more, we even know when it’ll launch, too.

So, what more do we know about the upcoming sandbox racer? Well, a fair amount, as it turns out. Interested? If so, then read on for the full scoop. LEGO 2K Drive: what is it, and why should it be on your radar this year?

What Is LEGO 2K Drive?

LEGO 2K Drive is an all-new brick-based open-world racing game by Visual Concepts, creator behind just about every 2K sports game in the book. In this latest venture, LEGO-loving mavericks will have the opportunity to delve into a rich open world setting and compete in a variety of single-player and multiplayer events. What’s more, racers will have the chance to build their own vehicles out of a 1,000-piece chest, with which they can fully customize, upgrade, and tailor to suit the type of event they’re racing in.

According to Visual Concepts, in-game vehicles will not only include custom-made ones, but a wide variety taken directly from LEGO City, Creator, and Speed Champions. Oh, and not to mention the McLaren Solus GT and F1 LM.

Story

At this moment in time, there isn’t a whole lot of “story” to go on, though Visual Concepts has made it clear that there will be something of the sort wedged between its myriad of open-world events. But as for what that story will be, however, is still unknown, as it probably will be until either the devs or 2K shed light on the subject via a story trailer.

Of course, in this instance, speculation is welcome. We can’t say for certain what the story will entail, but given the history of open-world racing games, a stab in the dark would lead us to believe a rags-to-riches, up-and-coming racer blueprint wouldn’t be all that far from the truth. But who knows. Care to enlighten us, VC?

Gameplay

To put it short, it’s an open-world racing game, which means you can full well expect to see a diverse range of drag, drift, off-road, and custom events spread over an entirely destructive playground. What’s more, you can expect to see a two-player split-screen mode, as well as an online competitive mode that allows up to six players to test their mettle in high-octane head-to-head races.

Outside of the online matches, LEGO 2K Drive will also allow for you to customize your own vehicle, using over 1,000 unique bricks from the box. This means you can go beyond what’s expected of a standard racing game with customization elements, and in turn, build something that defies the very laws of the road. Does this mean you can construct a Shrek-like pirate ship from scratch? Sure, why not. Does this mean you can build a shapeshifting train that just so happens to double up as a bike? Absolutely. And that’s barely scratching the surface, by the looks of it.

Development

Thanks to IGN, news surrounding the LEGO 2K Drive launch slipped a little too early. Or at least, said news wasn’t supposed to be released until the day after the now-deleted article, anyway. But the fact of the matter is, LEGO Group did formally announce the development of LEGO 2K Drive on March 23rd, teasing not only a selection of in-game screenshots, but even a nifty trailer to boot.

At the time of its reveal, Visual Concepts did state that the game will be heading to all major platforms, including PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store. You can go ahead and add it to your wishlist today.

Trailer

LEGO 2K Drive | Awesome Reveal Trailer | Coming May 19

Piqued your interest? If so, then you’ll be pleased to know that LEGO officially lifted the veil on the racing chapter earlier today. And, true to its word, it showcases the ever so sprightly characters and a huge chunk of its world remarkably well — à la LEGO style. You can see it for yourself in the embed above.

Release Date, Platforms & Editions

LEGO 2K Drive will be coming to Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Switch, and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store on May 19, 2023. Does this mean it could plant roots on either Game Pass or PlayStation Plus? Theoretically, yes. That said, seeing as the release window is only around the corner and neither LEGO Group nor 2K have mentioned anything on the matter, it’s safe to say it won’t be a day-one exclusive on either at this moment in time.

In other news, LEGO 2K Drive will release in three different editions: Standard Edition, Awesome Edition, and Awesome Rivals Edition. You can see what comes included in each down version below.

  • Standard Edition — $69.99 (PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series) $59.99 (PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC)
  • Awesome Edition — $99.99 – Includes a new vehicle, vehicle flair, in-game minifigure, and the Year 1 Drive Pass
  • Awesome Rivals Edition — $119.99 – Includes multiple vehicles, a vehicle flair, multiple in-game minifigures, and the Year 1 Drive Pass.

What’s curious here is the Year 1 Drive Pass; it’s essentially stating that the game will include at least a year’s worth of additional content. Besides the mini-figs, and add-on vehicles, though, who knows what exactly 2K and Visual Concepts have up their sleeves. Either way, it’ll be interesting to see how 2023 pans out for its consumers.

For more information on the LEGO 2K Drive launch, you can follow the official social feed here. If anything new pops up between now and its May release date, we’ll be sure to fill you in on all the details right here on gaming.net.

So, what’s your take? Will you be picking up a copy of LEGO 2K Drive when it drops? Let us know your thoughts over on our socials here.

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