Update: Following the leaks (or maybe just in spite of them) LEGO has come out with a quick promotional teaser, confirming that this game is indeed real and announcing that it’ll have something to show as soon as this week on March 23rd:
We are not supposed to say anything ? but tune in for March 23rd pic.twitter.com/i0NUiF3bqG
— LEGO (@LEGO_Group) March 20, 2023
Following months of rumours that publisher 2K had struck a deal with LEGO to develop a range of sports games, including an unannounced open-world driving title hinted at in a LinkedIn listing, the lid has been blown off an upcoming LEGO project thanks to a series of leaks.
Insider Gaming reports that the game, titled LEGO 2K Drive, is in beta testing currently and a heap of images have surfaced showing what essentially looks like an arcade racer in the vein of Mario Kart with various themed tracks, a variety of different LEGO-built karts and minifigure racers. It’s hard to determine exactly where “open-world” comes into the equation from the images but a menu option for “Shared World” does exist alongside regular cup series and race options which implies there could be some kind of online hub element connecting the various tracks featured.
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LEGO 2K Drive also looks to feature some form of in-game store with its own currency (surprise) but at this stage it’s obviously unclear how the game will be sold and/or monetised.
You can take a look at some key art, a title screen, menu screens and a handful of track loading screens in the images in the external embed below (before they’re inevitably taken down):
The courses named in the leak are:
- Runway Roundabout
- Rapid Falls
- Swampus
- Cat Scratch Freeway
- Down on the Farm
- Glazed Overdrive
- Headless Horsepower
- Chasm Crossing
Recently, it came to light that TT Games, who previously held exclusivity to develop LEGO console games, had cancelled a number of projects including a LEGO Disney game. The story on Insider Gaming also mentions that The Lego Group has no plans to extend its exclusivity agreement with TT Games following reports of severe developer crunch within the studio both before and during development of its most recent title, LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga.
