Theale, UK – May 31, 2023 – Mattel, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAT) and Milestone, a leading global racing game developer, today announced Hot Wheels Unleashed™ 2 – Turbocharged. The sequel to the acclaimed Hot Wheels Unleashed™ will be available on October 19, 2023 for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch™, and PC via Steam and Epic Games Store. With all-new mechanics, environments, vehicle styles, and game modes, Hot Wheels Unleashed™ 2 – Turbocharged revs up the arcade fun to the next level, taking players to unexplored horizons in their Hot Wheels® gaming experience.
Watch the Hot Wheels Unleashed™ 2 – Turbocharged announcement trailer here.
VEHICLE CATEGORIES, ENVIRONMENTS, AND GAMEPLAY MECHANICS
Hot Wheels Unleashed™ 2 – Turbocharged will launch with over 130 vehicles, including the debut of motorbikes and ATVs. Stock, Powered, and Ultimate vehicle categories will differentiate performance, while players will be able to further customise their driving style using skill points to purchase specific perks and assemble their ideal custom build.
Five distinct environments await players in Hot Wheels Unleashed™ 2 – Turbocharged, each with unique racing surfaces that impact vehicle performance for a more dynamic match experience. Vehicles will also interact with several objects both on and off the track, making races even more unpredictable.
Along with the greater diversity of vehicles and environments that open up more dynamic and strategic racing scenarios, daring driving and maneuvers skills are tested with the addition of two new abilities – dash and jump. Lateral dashing will allow for tactical impacts against opponents, obstacle dodging, and daring overturns until the finish line, while players will also be able to perform dramatic jumps anytime and anywhere. With the press of a button, drivers will have new opportunities to overtake rivals, uncover hidden shortcuts, and discover new track sections. These innovations, alongside the drift and boost features already present in the first game, ensure that each race offers a unique and thrilling experience while giving players more control over their fate.
NEW GAME MODES AND ONLINE FEATURES
Hot Wheels Unleashed™ 2 – Turbocharged will feature a variety of new game modes that add a fresh layer of fun and challenges both online and offline, including events that push drivers’ skills to the limit or teach them how to master the art of drifting and avoiding crashes with speed and precision. The fan-favorite, two-player split-screen mode is back to fuel exciting duels on the couch, while a number of improvements, including the ability to create a party with friends and the addition of cross-play*, will ignite the online multiplayer experience.
AN ENHANCED, STORY-DRIVEN CAMPAIGN
A story-driven career mode starring four original characters is another highlight addition to Hot Wheels Unleashed™ 2 - Turbocharged. Each character’s background and personality will be presented through animated cutscenes that will immerse players in a captivating narrative, making their journey into the world of Hot Wheels Unleashed™ 2 – Turbocharged truly unforgettable.
POWER TO THE USERS!
User-generated content has played a critical role in the success of Hot Wheels Unleashed™, which boasts over 1 million liveries and 400 thousand tracks designed by Hot Wheels fans, and the possibilities to unleash players’ creativity are even larger in Hot Wheels Unleashed™ 2 – Turbocharged. The refined Track Editor will introduce new special modules and features that increase the diversity of player-generated tracks, whereas a Livery Editor update will introduce the Sticker Editor to create, save, and share original patterns and shapes. To ensure everyone can enjoy the creations of their fellow players, all user-generated content will be shareable cross-platform from Day One of Hot Wheels Unleashed™ 2 – Turbocharged.
"We are truly delighted with the enthusiasm shown by the press and players toward the first title, a global success that reached more than 8 million players worldwide," said Luisa Bixio, Milestone CEO. "Building on the solid foundation that granted us unanimous acclaim, with Hot Wheels Unleashed™ 2 – Turbocharged we decided to create a brand-new gaming experience to raise the bar of arcade fun even higher. Having a partner like Mattel by our side is a great reason to be proud, and we are ready to race even faster toward new shared goals.”
“Having just celebrated its 55th anniversary, the iconic Hot Wheels brand continues to ignite the challenger spirit in consumers globally across a seemingly endless variety of mediums – especially gaming," said Mike DeLaet, Global Head of Digital Gaming at Mattel. "Following the enormous success of Hot Wheels Unleashed™, we are thrilled to join forces once again with our talented partners at Milestone to bring fans an all-new game with next-level graphics and even bigger thrills.”
Hot Wheels Unleashed™ 2 – Turbocharged is available now for pre-order on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam and Epic Games Store. For more information, visit hotwheelsunleashed.com.
*Cross-play not available on Nintendo Switch.
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Founded in Milan in 1996, Milestone S.r.l. is one of the leading and longest established racing game developer in the world. The 200+ people team is responsible for hit series like MotoGP™, MXGP and Monster Energy Supercross – The Official Videogame, as well as own IPs Ride and Gravel. For more information please visit www.milestone.it
PLAION runs a multi-label strategy, with fully owned publishing units, such as Deep Silver, Prime Matter, Milestone, Vertigo Games and Ravenscourt, publishing games for consoles, PC and VR platforms across all physical and digital channels.
Additionally - as a global publishing partner - PLAION has formed long-term multinational publishing collaborations with numerous game publishers including Activision Blizzard, Bethesda, Capcom, Focus Multimedia, Giants Software, Koei Tecmo, Paradox, Sega, SNK, Square Enix, Techland, THQ Nordic, Tripwire, Warner Bros and many others.
With its parent company in Höfen, Austria - and the HQ in Munich, Germany - PLAION owns local publishing companies in Germany, UK, France, Spain, Italy, Sweden, the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, Poland, Australia, the United States as well as Japan and Hong Kong.
PLAION owns nine game development studios: Deep Silver Dambuster Studios (Nottingham, UK), Fishlabs (Hamburg, DE), Warhorse Studios (Prague, CZ), Milestone (Milan, IT), Voxler (Paris, FR) , DigixArt (Montpellier, FR), Flying Wild Hog (Warsaw, Kraków, Rzeszów, PL), Free Radical Design (Nottingham, UK) and Vertigo Games (Rotterdam, Amsterdam, NL). Additionally, PLAION collaborates with numerous independent development studios around the world.
Part of PLAION is also PLAION PICTURES, a leading independent film distributor in Europe with a library of more than 1.400 titles. Further business operations include Sola Media, a sales agency and production company for family entertainment, Spotfilm Networx, a multi-channel streaming network, and a sub-label dedicated to Japanese animation.
PLAION also owns the leading video game merchandise company DPI Merchandising (Denver, Roseburg, USA and Munich, DE) and a Quality Assurance Facility in Olomouc, CZ.
PLAION is an Embracer Group company.