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Disney Speedstorm: Here's Everything We Know So Far

In the land of video games, the publisher with the best kart racer is king! Just go ask Nintendo with their Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, which sold more than 52 million units. It isn't just a cash cow; it's an entire golden egg-laying herd. While Nintendo's game still costs $60, Gameloft's upcoming Disney Speedstorm will eventually be a F2P (free-to-play). There's a good reason they went with that business model instead of the classic $60-$70 one, and that reason's name is Fortnite.
Disney Speedstorm 24 photos
Photo: Disney Speedstorm mobile
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Disney Speedstorm is a cross-platform hero-based combat racing game developed and published by Gameloft, a French company founded back in '99 by Michel Guillemot, who also helped co-found Ubisoft. Currently, Gameloft is a subsidiary of Vivendi, a media holding company that had some beef with Ubisoft some years back, but that love triangle is not part of today's story.

Until recently, Gameloft mainly developed games for the mobile market, like the Asphalt, Sniper Fury, Modern Combat, and Dungeon Hunter series, along with movie-inspired titles like Minion Rush, Disney Magic Kingdoms, Ice Age Adventures HD, My Little Pony: Mane Merge, Paddington Run, and the list keeps going on and on.

However, in 2022 they decided to have a stronger presence on video game consoles and PC with Disney's Dreamlight Valley. Success followed soon after, and here we are talking about their upcoming Mario Kart-inspired title for PC and consoles.

Disney Speedstorm
Photo: Disney Speedstorm website
Given that Speedstorm is a new IP (Intelectual Property), making people pay $60-$70 for it based on zero pedigree wouldn't have made sense. Also, it's a live-service game, which means paid seasonal content will be made available constantly after launch to keep the game alive, just like Epic does with Fortnite.

The best thing about it is that being a Disney and Pixar title, it will have everyone's favorite characters joining the roster. While it will debut with a limited number, they will keep piling on as time goes by.

Some of the confirmed characters are Mickey (obviously!), Mowgli, Jack Sparrow, Donald Duck, Hercules, Belle, Beast, Sulley (Monsters Inc.), and Baloo. You'll even find the racetracks familiar-looking because they're also inspired by films and cartoons.

Disney Speedstorm
Photo: Disney Speedstorm website
You can expect Speedstorm to offer you an easy-to-learn experience at first, only to find out it's actually hard-to-master after putting in some hours. You'll have to learn tricks and discover how to boost your car's performance to win and level up. Also, keep in mind that "It doesn't matter if you win by an inch or a mile, at the end of the day, it's all about family!" - Dominic Torreto. Sorry, couldn't help myself.

To kick things into gear (pun intended), the game features four classes or play styles: Speedster, Trickster, Brawler, and Defender. Game Designer Hunor Vizi said: “We introduced the Class system because we wanted to create variety among our racers, make them feel unique. The playstyle of each class is different, but their learning curves are similar."


The Speedster class has a Top Speed advantage, and after you hit a rival with a dash, you get a Dash Bonus that grants you an Auto-Boost. So if you want to go as fast as you can, you'll want to ram into your opponents every chance you get.

Disney Speedstorm
Photo: Disney Speedstorm website
As a Speedster, in order to fill your Manual Boost meter, you'll have to perform certain actions, like hitting the boost pads from the tracks.

The Trickster is proficient in Boost as a main stat. When you'll dash into an opponent, you'll confuse them and gain an advantage. The Manual Boost meter will fill when you start drifting away like there's no tomorrow.

The Brawler class has the highest Handling stat, and when you dash into a rival racer, you'll stun them. To fill up the Manual Boost meter, you'll have to simply keep stunning people, which to me, sounds like the most fun class to play with.

Lastly, the Defender has the best Acceleration and Combat stats. You gain a Shield every time you dash into a rival. To fill the Boost meter, you have to ride on Slipstreams, which are those dark-blue side rails you can jump on. Careful, though, when you're grinding one, you leave yourself vulnerable to attacks.

Disney Speedstorm
Photo: Disney Speedstorm website
Next up, we have Skills, which vary depending on the character and class you pick. This is where the easy-to-play, hard-to-master part kicks in if you want to learn all the combinations that suit your preferred playstyle. Unless you put in those hours, you won't get to obliterate the online competition or, more importantly, your "Player 2" friends.

Drifting is another major gameplay mechanic, and it's vital for you to learn it as fast as possible. I think it was Boromir, son of Denethor II, that put it best when he said, "One does not simply not-drift into a corner."

If you manage to pull off a drift for more than 1.5 seconds, it activates Drift Boosting, which will grant you an instant speed boost, but it will also charge up your Manual Boost meter. The color of your wheels will be highlighted to let you know you've engaged Drift Boost.

Disney Speedstorm
Photo: Disney Speedstorm website
Another interesting gameplay mechanic is the Crew system. You can equip up to four crew members, each adding a bonus to your stats. As you progress, you unlock more of these side characters that can add to your Top Speed, Acceleration, Handling, Boost, and Combat stats. By upgrading these members, you will get even more benefits, so make sure not to neglect them.

Aside from the usual races, we have the Boss Mode events that are all about defeating a designated "arch-nemesis" during a race. There will be other opponents as well, but remember to keep your eyes on the prize and obliterate your chosen rival every chance you get.

These types of challenges will be more difficult than your average race because they will feature a greater number of dangerous hazards and obstacles for you to avoid.

Disney Speedstorm looks like it has all the chops to go against Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and it's supposed to come out sometime in 2023 on PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.

Disney Speedstorm
Photo: Disney Speedstorm website
Given the recent delay, I am willing to bet dollars to donuts that the only reason it hasn't been announced on mobile yet is because the teams are firing on all cylinders, trying to release the game on the above-mentioned platforms.

My magical crystal ball showed me that as soon as it will hit digital stores, we'll just might start seeing trailers for the mobile version. Crossplay was also part of the vision, but everything was too foggy for me to discern properly.

But seeing as how the biggest fish, or better said, whales, are on the mobile market, it wouldn't be at all surprising that production is already well underway.
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About the author: Codrin Spiridon
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Codrin just loves American classics, from the 1940s and ‘50s, all the way to the muscle cars of the '60s and '70s. In his perfect world, we'll still see Hudsons and Road Runners roaming the streets for years to come (even in EV form, if that's what it takes to keep the aesthetic alive).
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