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KartRider: Drift News

Dev Blog - Revving Up the Fun - Part 2

Hey there, Racers!

Today, we want to talk about the work that we've been doing on tracks, characters, skins and karts that we announced in our last Dev Blog, Revving Up the Fun - Part 1! A lot of work has gone into everything below that you'll get your hands on soon, so read on and enjoy!

See the new Tracks and Themes!

Tracks are at the heart of a good kart racing game, and giving you fun roads to race down has been a major focus of our work. The dev team has been preparing not only new tracks with unique challenges and twisting curves, but also new locations and themes to give Racers more variety and fun as they compete for records and rankings!

Check out new tracks from the Village and Forest themes that many of you played in the second Closed Beta Test, and also tracks using the classic Desert and Glacier setting. Get a sneak peek at tracks from the brand-new Moonhill and Mine themes that will go beyond what you've experienced! Take a look below as we expand the vibrant settings and tracks of KartRider: Drift!

New Village Theme Track

New Forest Theme Track

New Desert Theme Track

New Moonhill Theme Track

New Mine Theme Track

New Glacier Theme Track

Check out new Characters and Skins!

Characters and skins are custom-made to allow Racers to show off their style and personality in the race. We're expanding the selection of characters and skins to suit the taste of many more Racers.

Our goal is to give you enough different looks to fully express yourself in the world of KartRider: Drift. We hope that you continue to keep your eyes peeled for more creative, entertaining, intimidating, and downright goofy looks that we'll be making available!



Get a Sneak Peek at Brand-new Karts!

Of course, customization wouldn't be complete without showing off some new wheels to take onto the track! These new karts have special designs that are perfectly suited to blazing around the road at top speed, giving you new ways to express yourself on the course.

Take a look at the new designs below and let us know what you think! And continue to keep an eye out for new karts, both for speedy racing as well as the ever-chaotic Item Mode!







Hope you enjoyed the sneak peeks of all this new content! Stay tuned for Part 3 where we unveil some more new content that we've been working extra hard on!

-JL & the KartRider: Drift Team-

Dev Blog - Revving Up the Fun - Part 1

Hey there, Racers!

On August 5th, we released a new teaser video for KartRider: Drift! If you haven’t seen it, you can check it out here.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
Now take a peek behind the scenes at some of the things we've been working on the last few months!

Revving up the Fun Factor
  • Start Boost: Hit the Start Boost at the right moment to get an even larger head-start!
  • Dynamic Collisions: The effect and corresponding animations from a collision will change based on the power of the collision, to make it clearer just how hard you hit the wall.
Strong Collision

Weak Collision
  • Winners Podium: No more guesswork about who won the race: First place gets their own spot on the podium, instead of having to share a flat stage (and the glory) with second and third!


These features are being developed to let Racers better enjoy a dynamic driving experience from start to finish.

We’ve made it easier for more Racers to use the Start Boost, as well as receive additional perks for getting the timing just right. We also worked on movement and collision effects and animations so that it’s much easier to know how well (or not) you're doing--and to keep your focus on the race itself!

And finally, while not the biggest change, we felt that the post-game stage for solo matches wasn't giving the winning player the glory they deserve. So out with the flat stage, and in with a traditional podium with spots for First, Second and Third!

Our goal is to make driving more fun, no matter what game mode you're playing.

Upgrading Item Mode
  • Item Boxes: We've increased the spawn speed of item boxes and adjusted the rates of the various items in the boxes to boost strategic gameplay. Those Racers far in the back behind the leader will have plenty of ammo to even the odds!
  • Timing is Everything: Missile and Magnet items now lock onto a target with the item's first press, and then are fired with the second, letting you pick your moments more carefully.
Missile and Magnet Usage Method Change
  • Distinct Slot Colors: An item slot's color is now differentiated by the item type (attack, defense, speed) to make it easier to determine what sort of item you got at a glance.
Item Slot Color Differentiation

Improvements to effects and animations will make obtaining, using, and hitting items more dynamic and fun.

We’ve also made efforts to diversify the gameplay strategy according to your race position by changing the item box rates, giving Racers in the back of the pack a better chance of catching up (or dragging the leader back down to you). We’re setting out to make Item Mode its own unique brand of chaotic fun!

Check back next time when we talk about some of the work we're doing on the tracks, characters, skins, and karts. More info will be provided to sate your curiosity in Dev Blog: Revving Up the Fun - Part 2!

-JL & the KartRider: Drift Team-

Dev Blog - Practice Makes Perfect

Hey Racers!

We're thrilled to bring you an update today! We know it's been some time since you last heard any news from us; the truth is we’ve been slammed with our development work! The plan going forward is to provide several more updates over the next few months.

The team here at Nexon has been working on many improvements for KartRider: Drift, and we're excited to give you a peek at what's been happening behind the scenes!

Our new Driving Assistance System will help new Racers get up to speed quickly, so that both fresh and veteran drivers alike can enjoy the game. Because, after all, the more Racers, the more mayhem and fun, right?

Ready to dig into the details? Buckle up, 'cause here we go!
  • New "Driving Convenience" Features: Our new driving convenience features will help first-time Racers learn to understand the tracks, master kart controls, and even assist with driving directions. After all, it takes practice to start seeing the perfect racing lines!
    1. Driving Direction: Right? Left? In the thrill of the race, Driving Direction will help new Racers gain awareness of which direction to go. That, in turn, will help them become more aware of the course and bring them one step closer to being expert drivers!
    2. Track Guidelines: New to a track? Have no fear! Track Guidelines will show new Racers the ideal driving path of each track to give them the edge in a race!
    3. Quick Automatic Return: It's not hard to get back on track! Quick Automatic Return puts Racers back where they need to be should they get turned around in a collision, meander off the trail, or fall off a cliff!
  • New "Drift Convenience" Features: Drifting is the name of the game (literally!), but it's a technique that can take some time to master. Our new drift convenience features will teach new Racers how to combine the timing and angle of their drift to get them where they want to go. Before you know it, it'll become second nature!
    1. Drift Zones: When's the best time to start a drift? When's the best time to end it? Drift Zones visually display the best start and end points of your drift. Now you can visualize and plan your drifts ahead of time!
    2. Drift Correction: Want a few more pointers on how to achieve the perfect drift? Drift Correction adjusts your kart's direction by calculating your drift usage and duration. It'll even let you know when you might be over- or under-steering and keep you from going the wrong direction after drifting!
  • Wait, There's More! You could run the same track a hundred times and never have the same experience. Endless scenarios await! We've added in a couple new features that'll help make even the more difficult situations more fun.
    1. Quick Automatic Return: When you're jamming down the track at top speed, it can be difficult to maintain control if you bump into something. Quick Automatic Return adjusts your direction in advance, prior to a collision, to help you correct your kart and get back into the race!
    2. Reduced Collision Force: Need a guardian angel? Reduced Collision Force will prevent you from repeatedly reversing and moving forward to get back on course after a collision. It'll also guide you to avoid accidentally selecting a difficult route, at least until you're ready for it!

Our goal with the Driving Assistance System is to balance skill and fun, especially for our newer Racers. We've gotten a lot of feedback from our previous Beta tests and smaller scale internal focus tests, and we're dedicated to making racing less work and more fun! To achieve that, we're not only carefully fine-tuning our new Driving Assistance System, we're also working on various other additional features.

Finally a BIG thank you for all the support you've shown to KartRider: Drift so far. Your suggestions have been great and we really are listening with the goal of making KartRider: Drift the most fun for everyone, so please keep the ideas flowing!

See you on the track!

-JL & the KartRider: Drift Team-

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