Gaming: Mazda has joined forces with Japanese Drift Master

We were quietly excited about Tokyo Drift Master, a PC indie racer about perfecting the art of drifting that has an unusually deep narrative focus. Having just learned that Mazda has signed on the dotted line to provide its storied vehicles, the volume dial on that excitement just went up a few notches.

Usually drifting’s more of a sideline attraction in racing games. You do a few point-to-point events in the latest Need For Speed and then it chucks in a powerslidey points event for colour. JDM (as its known to its close friends) is different. Perfecting the speed, angle and duration of your drifts is the whole point.

It also seems a bit more interested in grounding you in a narrative and setting than most racing games. The setup here is that you’re a foreigner who’s moved to Japan to fulfil their ambition to immerse in drift culture and becomes, well, some manner of Japanese Drift Master, if you will.

You’ll use your phone to interact with NPCs and hang out with them in the scenic Tokyo suburbs, exploring a pretty substantial open world in your custom ride.

We’ve seen glimpses of other real-world vehicles before this Mazda announcement, like Supras, Silvias and the timelessly boxy Toyota Corolla AE86. They’ll now be joined by a selection of Mazda’s revered RWD drift classics roster.

There’s a free standalone prologue on the way called Rise of the Scorpion which will give you a chance to kick up some smoke from 8 August onwards. The full release is due later in 2024.