Test Drive Unlimited 2 Message Board

[Update] A few hours ago, we reported that Eden Games had been shuttered - you can read our original report below. An Atari representative has told Joystiq that despite the "divestiture process" wording in the financial statement sourced below suggesting closure of the studio, Eden Games has not been fully liquidated. Eden Games still exists, and Atari plans to support the studio moving forward.

"Our earnings statement contained a report about the divestment of Eden Games. We want to make it clear that the studio has not closed and that we will continue to support the console and PC games of Eden Games, notably Test Drive Unlimited 2, while this process is underway. The divestment is in line with our previously stated strategy of exploiting our popular intellectual property library on mobile devices, where he have seen strong initial success, and via online games and licensing."
[Original story] Eden Games is no more. Last year Eden Games engaged in a "symbolic" one-day strike in response to a first wave of layoffs, and today Atari has shut down what was left of the French studio responsible for the Test Drive series of racing sims.

"Eden Games has been accounted for as 'Discontinued Operations' under IFRS 5, as the Company has started a divestiture process of the studio," Atari's earnings report reads. (That's business speak explaining Eden Games has been dissolved.) Earnings for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2012 show Atari made $51.3 million - a 44% decline compared to last year's $77.8 million in revenue.

Last year, when the first round of Eden Games employees were dismissed, some went on to found Blossom Minds.

Eden Games is no more. Last year Eden Games engaged in a "symbolic" one-day strike in response to a first wave of layoffs, and today Atari has shut down what was left of the French studio responsible for the Test Drive series of racing sims.

"Eden Games has been accounted for as 'Discontinued Operations' under IFRS 5, as the Company has started a divestiture process of the studio," Atari's earnings report reads. (That's business speak explaining Eden Games has been dissolved.) Earnings for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2012 show Atari made $51.3 million - a 44% decline compared to last year's $77.8 million in revenue.

Last year, when the first round of Eden Games employees were dismissed, some went on to found Blossom Minds.

As predicted way back before the game's release, Test Drive Unlimited 2 is indeed getting some bikes to ride around the island with. In a post on the game's official forums, a community manager for Atari says that the game's second DLC pack is scheduled for February 2012, and will bring three bikes, including a Harley and two Ducatis, as well as six new cars, and new missions and locations to explore. There will also be new clothes and furniture to buy, and enhancements to the game, like the ability to change cars' positions in the garage, control headlights, and also support for some more driving wheel accessories.

The first DLC for the game ended up arriving at no cost thanks to a buggy launch, but it's been a while -- about nine months -- since TDU2 has seen new content. We're not sure why it's taken quite so long; maybe developer Eden Games has been dealing with other issues.

#labor Atari's plans to lay off more than 50 percent of Eden Games' workforce, plus alleged "mismanagement," were the catalysts for a one-day symbolic strike today by the developer of Test Drive Unlimited 2. More »

Eden Games – they behind Test Drive Unlimited 2 and the V-Rally series – and have had enough of their treatment from Atari, and in the face of enormous redundancies at the company and have gone on strike today. GI.biz report that in the face of sackings, the French studio has said enough, and are refusing to work. And they’ve a few choice words to explain why.

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Joystiq report that the Exploration pack for Test Drive Unlimited 2 has been released! Twenty new missions, two new mission types, two new cars (a Lancia Stratos and Dodge Charger), new clothes to wear and more, as well as a bumload of bugfixes that include “Cars no longer launched into the air by glitches in the road” and “impact with tress is now less severe”. Boo!

My dream online driving game would consist almost entirely of people climbing out of their cars to examine crash damage, their overweight avatars clutching their face in both hands and making noises of unfathomable sadness. Anyway, you’ll find the full feature listing of the Exploration pack after the jump(more…)

Though it may lack the apologetic punch of a Hallmark card featuring doe-eyed kittens telling us how "sowwy" they are, Eden Games and Atari have released a pretty thorough make-up patch for its bug riddled racer, Test Drive Unlimited 2. The free Exploration DLC pack, which adds a number of new events, cars and outfits (as well as a plethora of much-needed bug fixes) is available today on PC, and is coming "very soon" to consoles.

You can check out the extensive list of updates after the jump, and spend the rest of the day wondering how this game made it to store shelves with problems like "Cars sometimes turn invisible." That seems like the kind of thing you'd notice in QA, right? Actually, since the cars were invisible, they wouldn't notice them? We need to think about that one.

Bummed that your launch experience with Test Drive Unlimited 2 was hampered by game-breaking bugs and server outages? Atari and developer Eden Games totally understand -- and while it's a little impractical to come around and give shoulder massages to everyone affected, they'd like to do the next best thing: Give away some free DLC for your troubles.

That being the case, the upcoming Exploration DLC pack will be a gratis download. It will unlock the Lancia Stratos version Rallye and 1969 Dodge Charger in addition to fixing a whole slew of bugs, from login issues to repairing corrupt saves -- even adding an improved casino experience.

The content has gone live for the PC version already, with the console updates currently being approved by Microsoft and Sony, so they're expected soon.

Can Test Drive get back on track after a rocky start off the line? Find out in the full GameTrailers.com Review!

Caution: road work ahead.

Eden's eccentric racer speeds into top spot.

Bad news for those who picked up Test Drive Unlimited 2 this week: the game is apparently falling apart, thanks to a few game-breaking bugs across various systems, including "permanent loading screen" problems and issues where the game's save file will get corrupted or not load. A number of network-reliant game components have been taken offline already, and the official Twitter account says the Eden Games team is working as fast as it can to sort things out. Programmers have been pulled in from other projects with the dev promising that "no one is going home until we get this working."

So, if you bought the game and encountered these issues, sit tight. If you were thinking about picking up the game this weekend, it might be prudent to wait until everything gets sorted out. In the meantime, there are lots of other games to play, or there's even this thing called "outside" we've heard about, whatever that is.

[Thanks, Tony]

Was this a Test Drive you can't wait to take back to the dealership?

The servers are down, and our review is incomplete. But that doesn't mean we don't have opinions.

Let loose on the clifftops of Serra Mountain in this off-road challenge.

We're breaking the law, one test drive at a time!

A classic American muscle car goes all-out on the open road in this event in Test Drive Unlimited 2!

Enjoy the finer things in life, including the most expensive and extravagant car wash known to man.

The fast paced action of Test Drive is not for everyone. Can you keep your passengers from losing their lunch?

Unless you lucked into one of those half-off coupons from Amazon, you're unlikely to find a better deal on Marvel vs. Capcom 3 at launch than the one Kmart's offering right now -- albeit a deal contingent upon your continued Kmart shopping. From Feb. 15 through 19, the retailer is offering its "Shop Your Way Rewards" members $25 worth of points for in-store purchases of the game. Kmart is also giving away an exclusive poster (above) with MvC3 purchases -- supplies are limited, of course.

In addition, Kmart is throwing a pile of deals at people interested in Test Drive Unlimited 2. Through Feb. 12, the retailer is giving away a free code for a Ferrari 612 Sessanta. In-store purchases for 360 will come with free copies of the PC version of Test Drive Unlimited 1, and PS3 buyers get the first game on PSP thrown in. And if you're a member of that rewards program, you get $10 worth of points. With this kind of bribery, Kmart's making a pretty good argument for becoming a member and getting into a Kmart habit.

Drive sexy cars in exotic locales, beyond limits and beyond style.

Not yet excited about Eden Games' car racing MMO sequel? This should get your motor running.

Pimp your ride! Pile on the bling and an ice cream paint job for maximum twinkle and glisten!

Atari and Eden Games have sent along another Test Drive Unlimited 2 trailer, this time focusing on character customization, from in-game cosmetic surgery to your very own house designs. Bonus: The Ibiza-style music in the trailer doubles as a test of your speakers' woofers!

Developers discuss the importance of authentic handling in a racing video game.

A look at some of the licensed cars in the game and the open online world, along with what makes TDU2 different from the original.

Atari continues to tempt us with sumptuous Test Drive Unlimited 2 HD trailers, this time showing off some gorgeous Audi models, including the Q7 crossover SUV. An SUV in a racing game, you ask? Sure -- how else are you going to haul all of that furniture to your customizable house?

Tour the many exotic dwellings of Test Drive Unlimited 2.

Step into the Audi E7 for a breakneck run through Test Drive Unlimited 2.

Pit yourself or your club against others in the multiplayer modes of Test Drive Unlimited 2!