Announcement

Dev Blog - Continuous Matchmaking
Jan 12, 2024 1,333

Hello Racers,

We've been listening to your feedback since our last Dev Blog, and it's much appreciated. We've heard a lot of concerns about what we mentioned last time, about how we're considering Boost twists like Double Boost and Exceed for the long term.

That was just an example of what we're thinking about, with the main goal being to build on the strengths of various past elements of KartRider. However it does not mean that we're going to precisely replicate those specific features in the same manner as before. In particular, we don't plan to restore those features that were poorly received previously. As an example: a system that adds even more controls, such as Exceed, can actually take away from the fun of the game.

The development team will prepare a long-term plan to develop these upcoming features through a lot of research and consideration, and we will also be taking into account various opinions from Racers. We apologize further for the lack of explanation, and we thank you for your kind words and concerns.

We've also been listening to a lot of feedback on the Character Skills we've revealed in the recent Sneak Previews, and we're looking to see if there's anything we can incorporate. We're still in the early stages of developing these skills, so please stay tuned.

As I mentioned earlier, we're trying to take the strengths of the original KartRider game and use them to their fullest potential wherever we can to continue their legacy. That's why we're also working hard to balance the Speed Mode karts that we talked about in the December 14 Dev Blog.

Finally, there's one more thing we're working on that we hope to continue from the original game, and that's the battle narrative between Racers that comes from consecutive matches.

If you're matchmaking in another PvP game, a match can last 10 minutes or more, with enough time and interaction to fully create a story between all the players in that overall match.

In the case of KartRider, the shorter playtime of a single race makes it possible for multiple matches between the same Racers to have meaning, like in a fighting game, in order to create that exciting narrative between Racers.

Based on this idea, we would like to introduce a continuous matchmaking feature. We're planning on implementing continuous matching to our main modes, where you can find a match, and after it’s over, you're able to stay matched. Play the next match with Racers you just played with, and in the next match after that, for as many matches as you like! We also hope that chatting with the other Racers you just played against will become another fun thing to enjoy when preparing for your next match.

We'll continue to build on what you liked about the original KartRider, while adding new fun features, so that KartRider: Drift remains a game that you can enjoy for a long time. We will always listen to your feedback and think of ways to utilize them well.

We sincerely thank all Racers that are patiently waiting for the next update. We'll do our best to deliver some more news in the near future.

Thank you,

-Director Jaewoo Seo and the KartRider: Drift Team-

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