Wreckreation 2, the follow-up to the ambitious yet flawed arcade racer, has been announced by the newly renamed studio When Tides Turn. Formerly known as Three Fields Entertainment, the team, led by ex-Criterion Games studio head Fiona Sperry, is leaning into the legacy of the beloved Burnout series with their latest project. While the original Wreckreation aimed for player freedom and creativity, Wreckreation 2 is designed to be a more focused and physically engaging experience, building on lessons learned from its predecessor.
Fiona Sperry clarified that the initial Wreckreation was not a direct attempt to recreate Burnout, but rather an exploration of freedom and creativity in racing games, a continuation of unfinished work from Burnout Paradise and prior projects. However, the studio acknowledges that the first game did not fully achieve its goals. "Building on Burnout and an underwhelming predecessor are Wreckreation 2’s missions," the developers stated, suggesting a clearer trajectory for the sequel. Early impressions of an early build indicate a significant shift towards the satisfying arcade physics and chaotic racing reminiscent of Burnout Paradise.
The new game moves away from the bland, open environments of its predecessor, instead setting the action in and around Heartbreak City, an Eastern US-esque metropolis. This urban setting is designed to facilitate more natural car collisions and grinds, a key area of improvement over the first Wreckreation. The driving model has been adjusted to allow for more impactful bumping and bashing between vehicles. "The driving model’s designed so that cars can much more naturally bump, bash, and grind against each other," the studio noted.
Players can expect familiar arcade racing event types, including traditional races, one-on-one duels, road rages where the objective is to cause maximum destruction, and wreckonings, which are time trials that reward players with faster versions of their chosen cars. The game will feature distinct vehicle variants, with each car coming with two special versions offering visual and performance upgrades, a departure from the single base and special variant structure seen in Burnout Paradise.
Despite being in development for only a few months, with a concentrated eight weeks of work after shifting focus from the first game, Wreckreation 2 has already shown promise. The city environment, with its avenues and alleyways, provides a more suitable backdrop for events like road rages compared to the open roads of the previous title. While car collisions feel more impactful, the vehicles in the current build still lack a certain weight on the controller, and the drifting, while functional, is not yet as seamless as in earlier Burnout titles. "It’s still plain to see at this point that Wreckreation 2 has a long way to go," the developers admitted.
When Tides Turn plans to adopt a more open development process for Wreckreation 2, seeking player feedback through a series of demos that will increase in scope over time. These demos are distinct from paid early access periods. "We’ll open up a demo for maybe two or three weeks, we’ll do a playtest, then we’ll take it back down, take on board all the feedback and continue to iterate in that way," Sperry explained, citing games like Far Far West and Paralives as inspirations for this community-focused approach.
Notably, When Tides Turn is self-publishing Wreckreation 2, a decision that allows for a more flexible development cycle, unlike the publisher-dependent schedule of its predecessor which was published by THQ Nordic. This independence, secured partly through a UK government grant and with aims to attract angel investors, enables the studio to pursue a live development model. This is a contrast to the first Wreckreation, where publisher relationships might not have supported a prolonged live development period.
The worldspace of Wreckreation 2 is a key area of intrigue. While the current city environment is functional, it lacks the handcrafted depth that made Paradise City so engaging. The game will feature a mode allowing players to create their own tracks and obstacles, but the developers are aiming to balance this player creativity with a more curated, compelling world. Inspiration for the city's design has been drawn from Burnout Revenge, particularly its approach to "layering shortcuts and layering verticality," according to Sperry. The studio acknowledges the challenge of balancing player-driven content creation with a deeply realized environment, a lesson learned from the first Wreckreation. "As we pushed further towards creativity, further towards player expression, we did move away from some of those principles that made arcade racing compelling," Sperry admitted.
If When Tides Turn can successfully integrate these elements, Wreckreation 2 could evolve into a worthy successor that builds upon the legacy of Burnout, rather than merely imitating it. The focus on refined physics, a more engaging environment, and an open development process suggests a promising future for the arcade racer.
