After adding an officially licensed NASCAR playlist in March, The Crew Motorfest’s latest Season 9 update introduces a new, unexpected vehicle category to its ever-expanding roster: remote-control cars.
Included in the Year 3 Pass or as standalone DLC for £8.99/$9.99, the RC Frenzy Pack brings a new playlist featuring 10 themed events, along with four miniature cars to drive around Hawaii.
Speaking to Traxion, Creative Director Julien Hummer revealed how the “emotional connection almost everyone has with RC cars” was a key inspiration for the DLC.
“Whether it’s a toy you had as a kid, a game you played, or just a memory from watching someone race one in a park, RC cars carry this incredible nostalgic charge,” he explained. “We kept asking ourselves what motorised fantasy we hadn’t explored yet in Motorfest, and RC cars kept coming back as the answer.”
What helped realise this idea was that The Crew Motorfest’s existing open-world design was already an ideal template for diminutive toy cars. “Hidden alleys, small rivers, rooftops, backyards – it was all already there. We just needed to give players the right vehicle to discover it,” said Hummer.
Creating RC Frenzy required a “completely fresh perspective.”
Rather than restricting these tiny vehicles to bespoke tracks, they can be driven freely around Motorfest’s Hawaii map alongside full-size vehicles. In this new, shrunken perspective, the open world suddenly feels gigantic in scale.
“Motorfest has always been about celebrating car culture in all its forms, not just traditional racing. RC cars are part of that culture, and they bring something that nothing else in the game offers,” said Hummer.
“Details you’ve driven past a thousand times at 400 km/h become full-on obstacles and playgrounds,” he continued. “That fresh perspective on a world that players already know and love felt like an incredibly exciting proposition.”
Adapting the map for RC Frenzy required a “completely fresh perspective” since it was originally designed for full-size vehicles. Some areas “adapted beautifully with minimal work,” while others required “adjusting surfaces” and “creating specific pathways.”
This ensured that “micro-terrain details that are invisible at 300 km/h felt correct and intentional when you’re navigating them at RC speed.”
“We couldn’t simply scale down an existing vehicle’s physics system”
While the open world required minimal modifications, capturing the feeling of controlling a nimble RC car meant rebuilding the physics “from scratch.”
“We couldn’t simply scale down an existing vehicle’s physics system,” said Hummer. “RC cars have a fundamentally different relationship with the ground, surfaces and gravity. The suspension, grip and weight distribution required dedicated work.”
To accommodate this, the DLC introduces several mechanics new to the franchise, from performing jumps and air flips to driving on water. This proved to be a “significant technical undertaking.”
“Even the camera needed its own solution,” said Hummer. “We ended up developing a new position sitting between our two standard angles that best captures the RC perspective.” Some of RC Frenzy’s playlist events also switch to a fixed, retro-style overhead perspective, reminiscent of games like Atari’s Super Sprint arcade series.
In particular, the ability to jump on the fly enhances the exploration, opening new routes and shortcuts that were previously inaccessible. “It adds a vertical dimension to racing that we don’t have with traditional vehicles, and that changes how you read and navigate the world in an exciting way,” Hummer explained.
“When you think about RC cars in real life, games or pop culture, the jump is one of the most iconic and satisfying moments. We wanted players to be able to send their RC off a ramp, clear a gap, or launch over traffic and feel that rush.
Put simply, RC Frenzy aims to capture the childlike joy, fun and spectacle of toying with remote-control cars. “They have this expansive toylike, explosive energy that fits perfectly with the festival spirit of Motorfest,” said Hummer.
Why RC Frenzy is premium DLC
Despite presumably incurring licensing costs, Season 9’s NASCAR content was free for all players. Conversely, RC Frenzy can only be purchased as premium DLC.
“It comes down to the nature of what each experience represents,” said Hummer, explaining the decision. “NASCAR was integrated into the core seasonal content as part of our commitment to honouring major pillars of motorsport culture within Motorfest.
“RC Frenzy, on the other hand, represents an entirely new vehicle category with its own dedicated physics system, new mechanics and a full playlist of purpose-built events. It’s a substantial standalone experience.”
Those who don’t own the DLC or Year 3 Pass won’t miss out, though, as two RC cars will be offered as free mainstage rewards throughout the season.
Future updates “will make players stop and wonder how a racing game can do that”
The Crew Motorfest’s post-release has been remarkable. Since the open-world racer launched in 2023, live service updates have expanded the experience with everything from a free island expansion to enhanced car customisation and even a track creator.
Looking ahead, the developer hints that the “best is still ahead.”
“We’re not done,” Hummer teased. “There’s more content, more surprises and more ways to enjoy our game for the years to come.
“Looking beyond Season 9, we have things in development right now that will make players stop and wonder how a racing game can do that.
“We’re committed to keep pushing the boundaries of what The Crew Motorfest can be. Honestly, we’re still surprising ourselves in the best possible way. The best is still ahead of us – trust me on that one!”