logo
GCL Announces ‘JDM: Japanese Drift Master' Worldwide Launch

GCL Announces ‘JDM: Japanese Drift Master' Worldwide Launch

SINGAPORE, May 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- GCL Global Holdings Ltd. (NASDAQ: GCL) ('GCL' or the 'Company'), a leading provider of games and entertainment, today announced the highly anticipated launch of 'JDM: Japanese Drift Master' that is regionally published and distributed in Asia by GCL's game publishing subsidiary 4Divinity.
After several years in active development by Polish development studio and publisher Gaming Factory, ' JDM: Japanese Drift Master,' is now available on Steam, GOG, and Epic Games Store for $34.99 USD — with a 15% launch discount available for the first two weeks to welcome all new drivers to the streets of Guntama, Japan.
Explore the Soul of Japan Through a Manga Story Mode That Shifts Gears
From buzzing city centers to remote mountain passes, 'JDM: Japanese Drift Master' invites players into an open world inspired by Japan's iconic scenery and underground racing culture. Cruise freely, participate in exciting driving events, or simply take in the view – every road tells a story.
Featuring officially licensed cars from top Japanese automakers like Honda, Mazda, Nissan, and Subaru, each vehicle is modeled with stunning detail and different handling for a truly authentic ride. Experience the fictionalized world of Guntama through a narrative that blends fast-paced racing with emotional storytelling – all brought to life through fully illustrated manga panels. Rise through the ranks, meet unforgettable characters, and carve out your legacy in the underground drift scene.
'Today marks an exciting milestone for Gaming Factory, our team at 4Divinity, and for fans of high-performance driving around the world. Built around one of the most comprehensive tuning systems in the genre, 'Japanese Drift Master' empowers players with unparalleled control over both performance and style—driving deep engagement and strong community retention,' said Sebastian Toke, Group CEO of GCL.
'With a robust post-launch roadmap featuring new content, cars, and ongoing feature updates, we're positioned to support sustained growth and long-term player investment. We're excited about the momentum this sets for the future, and we can't wait for you to see what's next.'
About GCL Global Holdings
GCL Global Holdings Ltd. unites people through immersive games and entertainment experiences, enabling creators to deliver engaging content and fun gameplay experiences to gaming communities worldwide with a strategic focus on the rapidly expanding Asian gaming market.
Drawing on a deep understanding of gaming trends and market dynamics, GCL Group leverages its diverse portfolio of digital and physical content to bridge cultures and audiences by introducing Asian-developed IP to a global audience across consoles, PCs, and streaming platforms.
Learn more at http://www.gclglobalholdings.com.
About 4Divinity
4Divinity is a digital and retail games publishing company and a wholly owned subsidiary of GCL, focused on bringing exciting game content from around the world to Asia and introducing Asian content to a global market. Along with its sister company, Epicsoft Asia, 4Divinity is partnering with publishers and development studios to introduce brand-new IP to the region.
About Gaming Factory
Founded in 2017, Gaming Factory is a Polish game development studio and publisher dedicated to delivering engaging and innovative gaming experiences. As both a creator and distributor, the company focuses on crafting high-quality titles across various genres. Gaming Factory's flagship project, JDM: Japanese Drift Master, is an open-world drifting simulation that captures the spirit of Japanese car culture. With a passion for immersive gameplay and a commitment to excellence, Gaming Factory continues to expand its portfolio while bringing unique gaming experiences to gamers worldwide.
Learn more at https://gamingfactory.pl.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes 'forward-looking statements' made under the 'safe harbor' provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and may be identified by the use of words such as 'estimate,' 'plan,' 'project,' 'forecast,' 'intend,' 'will,' 'expect,' 'anticipate,' 'believe,' 'seek,' 'target' or other similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters. These forward-looking statements may also include, but are not limited to, statements regarding projections, estimates and forecasts of revenue and other financial and performance metrics, projections of market opportunity and expectations, the estimated implied enterprise value of the Company, GCL's ability to scale and grow its business, the advantages and expected growth of the Company, and the Company's ability to source and retain talent. These statements are based on various assumptions, whether or not identified in this press release, and on the current expectations of GCL's management and are not predictions of actual performance.
These statements involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Although GCL believes that it has a reasonable basis for each forward-looking statement contained in this press release, GCL cautions you that these statements are based on a combination of facts and factors currently known and projections of the future, which are inherently uncertain. In addition, there are risks and uncertainties described in the proxy statement/prospectus included in the Registration Statement relating to the recent business combination, filed by the Company with the SEC on December 31, 2024 and other documents which will be filed by the Company from time to time with the SEC. These filings may identify and address other important risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events and results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. GCL cannot assure you that the forward-looking statements in this press release will prove to be accurate. There may be additional risks that GCL presently knows or that GCL currently believes are immaterial that could also cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements. In light of the significant uncertainties in these forward-looking statements, nothing in this press release should be regarded as a representation by any person that the forward-looking statements set forth herein will be achieved or that any of the contemplated results of such forward-looking statements will be achieved. The forward-looking statements in this press release represent the views of GCL as of the date of this press release. Subsequent events and developments may cause those views to change. However, while GCL may update these forward-looking statements in the future, there is no current intention to do so, except to the extent required by applicable law. You should, therefore, not rely on these forward-looking statements as representing the views of GCL as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release. Except as may be required by law, GCL does not undertake any duty to update these forward-looking statements.
GCL Investor Relations:
Crocker Coulson
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/aab73763-3c4b-46bf-8fe8-a41e3d5ce0f7

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Secret Characters in Elden Ring Nightreign: How to Unlock the Revenant and Duchess
Secret Characters in Elden Ring Nightreign: How to Unlock the Revenant and Duchess

CNET

timean hour ago

  • CNET

Secret Characters in Elden Ring Nightreign: How to Unlock the Revenant and Duchess

Elden Ring Nightreign's Nightfarer class design allows new players and Souls veterans alike to hop into its speedy, round-based roguelike action RPG gameplay. Key character archetypes have been boiled down into Nightfarer classes with different passive and active skills that can help you round out a strong and efficient three-player squad -- but you don't have a full roster of Nightfarers available to you when you start the game. Creating a strong team composition is just as important as speedrunning bosses and collecting runes, flasks and other upgrades during the three-day expeditions. You'll want to mix-and-match damage dealers, tanks and supporting roles while also ensuring you have melee, ranged and elemental damage options. Read more: Elden Ring Nightreign Beginner's Guide: Team Strategy, Level Goals and Survival Tips As the first wave of players come to grips with Nightreign's speed-based roguelike expeditions on May 30, they might gravitate toward more forgiving Nightfarer options, such as Wylder, Guardian and Ironeye. The six Nightfarers available to you when you first start Nightreign aren't the only player classes in the game -- you're missing the ever-deadly Duchess and the spirit-summoning doll known as the Revenant. Here's how to unlock the two secret Nightfarer classes in Elden Ring Nightreign. If you receive this relic after an expedition, you'll be able to unlock the first secret Nightfarer. Screenshot by David Lumb/CNET How to unlock the Duchess The first Nightfarer you'll have a chance to unlock is the Duchess. Once you finish your first Tricephalos expedition, you'll be rewarded with a special green relic -- the Old Pocketwatch. You don't actually have to defeat Gladius in order to obtain the relic, but you do have to complete a full run in order to claim your rewards. This relic imparts decent buffs on any Nightfarer that you're running with a dexterity-based build, but it also doubles as the key item that unlocks the first secret Elden Ring Nightreign class. Once the Old Pocketwatch is in your possession, approach the Priestess in the Roundtable Hold. Her normal dialogue options give some background on what the Nightfarers are doing here and why the fight against the Nightlord is so important. Now, she'll ask about your new relic, and present you with a choice of whether or not to hand it over to her. Even if you've slotted the Old Pocketwatch relic into your build, you have nothing to fear by handing it over to the Priestess. You'll retain the relic and it you can still equip it on any of your playable Nightfarers. When the Priestess is handed the relic, a short cutscene plays where she drops her shroud and reveals that she has been the Duchess all along. She vows to stop standing on the sidelines and join the fight, and with that you'll unlock Nightreign's seventh playable Nightfarer. The Duchess wears a Dark Souls Firekeeper mask, but her overall aesthetic is much more Bloodborne-y. Screenshot by Tyler Graham/CNET What is the Duchess' role in a team? The Duchess is a dexterous attacker who can flit in and out of battle to keep up the pressure. She doesn't have high poise, defense or health, but she can hold an enemy's attention and easily evade their attacks. The Duchess greatly benefits from weapons like fists, daggers and curved swords, though any weapons with powerful lunge attacks will feel right at home in this Nightfarer's arsenal. The Duchess' passive ability lets her expend less stamina when attacking and dodging, allowing her to stay in the battle longer before taking a tactical reprieve. Her class ability, Restage, rewinds time and inflicts additional damage against enemies who have been wounded in the past few seconds. Her ultimate ability, Finale, shrouds the Duchess and any nearby teammates from enemies during a fight, allowing the team to heal up and prepare attacks with long wind up times. The effects of Finale instantly wear off on any person who attacks an enemy (or gets hit by a stray attack themselves). After you unlock the Duchess, a new item will be available in the Jar Bazaar. Screenshot by David Lumb/CNET How to unlock the Revenant You'll need another key item in order to unlock the Revenant, the eighth and final playable Nightfarer. However, this item becomes available as soon as you unlock the Duchess -- it's nestled down toward the bottom of the Jar Bazaar. The Besmirched Frame will cost you 1,500 Murk and, just like the Old Pocketwatch, it's a relic you can use in your Nightfarers' builds. The Old Pocketwatch gives you an insight into the type of Nightfarer it's connected to, boosting dexterity-related stats. The Besmirched Frame is a great relic for any Nightfarer with an affinity for magic, and that's no coincidence. Once you've obtained this item, a Lost Phantom will spawn in the east hallway of the Roundtable Hold. This NPC will be denoted by a girl's portrait on your map -- there will be an exclamation point icon by the portrait's head. Approach this phantom and interact with the girl. You'll be warped to the plateau where you fought the Margit the Fell Omen in Nightreign's tutorial, but this time a unique boss will be waiting for you. Taking on the Night Idol is much easier once you defeat her summons, but you'll still have to avoid some of the spells she slings. Screenshot by Tyler Graham/CNET The Night Idol is an easy boss fight, but there are a couple of enemies you'll have to micromanage. She has three spirit summons she fields against you: Helen, an agile page who will quickly press the attack; Frederick, a bulky cook who swings slowly but delivers devastating blows; and Sebastian, a massive skeleton who can't move but has deadly melee attacks and magic beams. Focusing on these spirit summons is imperative, because they don't come back once they're defeated. You can beat this boss with any Nightfarer, but I found it was easiest with Ironeye. You can use your bow to zone out the summons, peppering them with arrows until they fall, and then move in on the Night Idol boss using your action skills. Once the Night Idol is defeated, you'll be transported back to the Roundtable Hold and informed that you've unlocked the Revenant, the last of the Nightfarers missing from the roster. The Revenant is a doll, like Ranni the Witch. She commands spirits to enact her will. Screenshot by Tyler Graham/CNET What is the Revenant's role in a team? The Revenant is one of the more magically inclined player classes in Elden Ring Nightreign, which means that she's a high risk, high reward character to use. The Revenant has a high focus point (or mana) pool and can take advantage of sorceries and incantations alike, though her stat spread favors spells from Seals and Dragon Communions. What this character lacks in defense, though, she makes up for in utility that allows her to shift focus away from herself and her teammates. The Revenant's passive ability has a chance to spawn spirit summons of non-boss enemies that she deals final blows to. This combines well with her class ability, Summon Spirit, which allows her to call Helen, Frederick or Sebastian (the same summons from the Lost Girl boss fight) to the battlefield. The Revenant's summons add an element of chaos to Nightreign's battles, and often pull enemy aggression away from players. It's much easier to get in the thick of the fight and mete out some damage when there's a small army marching on a boss. When the fight is turning against her, the Revenant's powerful ultimate ability makes herself and her allies briefly immortal. The Immortal March ability applies to other players as well as the Revenant's spirit summons, making it a real Swiss army knife of an ability -- if you really want to squeeze the most value out of it, you can activate it when your teammates are knocked down to instantly revive them. If you've got a spirit summon active, it'll use its own ultimate ability, but it can't swing a fight nearly as well as picking up your fallen squadmates. The Revenant is fragile, but she provides more effective health to her tankier teammates -- and levels the playing field by bringing more allies into the fight. Now that you have a full stable of Nightfarers, it'll be easier than ever to take the fight to the Nightlord. If you're still having trouble with Elden Ring Nightreign's first set of expeditions, follow these beginner tips and make sure you're utilizing all of the advantages from the game's meta-progression systems. Elden Ring Nightreign launched on May 30 for PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Series S and Xbox One consoles for $40. Owning the original Elden Ring is not required to play this game.

Elden Ring Nightreign Director Interview: He Solo'd Every Boss and So Can You
Elden Ring Nightreign Director Interview: He Solo'd Every Boss and So Can You

CNET

timean hour ago

  • CNET

Elden Ring Nightreign Director Interview: He Solo'd Every Boss and So Can You

Elden Ring launched in 2022 to great acclaim as the culmination of director Hidetaka Miyazaki's successes with the Dark Souls and Bloodborne series of games. When calls went out in studio FromSoftware to explore more modest spinoff projects, Elden Ring combat director Junya Ishizaki raised his hand -- and proceeded to direct the just-released Elden Ring Nightreign, the multiplayer-only spinoff game. Nightreign is an ambitious attempt to distill the Elden Ring experience into under-an-hour repeatable runs killing enemies and mini-bosses before taking on a unique and deadly Nightlord main boss. Faster, meaner and in some ways tougher than the game it originates from, Nightreign is FromSoftware's expedition into multiplayer. And while it inherits a lot from Elden Ring, the studio's next game was developed to scratch a very different player itch -- a co-op pressure cooker to produce the highest and lowest moments that Souls games are known for. There are a lot of ways the games differ, but Nightreign's director summarized it by saying "I would describe the Elden Ring experience as more of a journey while Nightreign's experience is more of that on the battlefield." In part one of my interview with Ishizaki about his directorial debut in Nightreign, we chatted about what was kept and cut from Elden Ring, how the map design changed over development and whether he himself beat every boss in the game he helmed. (Yes, he solo'd them all.) Read more: Elden Ring Nightreign Beginner's Guide: The Essentials for Not Getting Wrecked in the First 5 Minutes Bandai Namco/Screenshot by CNET David Lumb: With its co-op focus and fast pace, Nightreign's gameplay is different than Elden Ring. What was kept and what was cut from the latter? Junya Ishizaki: While it's not limited to Elden Ring, with a lot of our games, we keep this sense of exploring the world and traversing the world. Building on these RPG systems and growing your character was definitely an element of Elden Ring that we wanted to keep and transfer into Nightreign. I think in terms of, not what what we cut because boss battles are still a large part of Elden Ring, but more as a good focus point on where we had to deliver something new for Nightreign -- we wanted these large-scale boss battles to feel really epic and really unique to this game. DL: What's it like to tweak the difficulty in a FromSoftware game, especially one built upon Elden Ring's specific challenge level from the lethality of everyday enemies to the biggest bosses? JI: These challenging elements to our games are always under scrutiny and that we're always looking at closely. We felt like we needed to step back and review that process for difficulty balancing with Nightreign in particular … being a multiplayer-focused title, the player is constantly evolving and changing their power level on the fly during any one session. So you really need to focus on what that power curve and that difficulty curve looked like within each session quite closely. Of course, as I say, we do look at this approach carefully from title to title. It's not just an all-in, make-it-hard approach. That said, Elden Ring, we did go too far in some areas and I feel we didn't go far enough in other areas. So we're always learning from our projects and past experiences, trying to create a game that feels fair and satisfying and gives you a feeling of accomplishment when you do overcome these challenges. DL: Hold on -- I think everyone would like to know your opinion on which bosses in Elden Ring went too far and which didn't go far enough! JI: This is not necessarily related to the difficulty specifically, but I think in terms of the battle system with Elden Ring -- which is something I was quite involved in the development of that game -- where the player feels too pressured or too restricted in what they can do within that framework and that setting, I feel like that created a lot of the feeling of difficulty for a lot of players. That is somewhere that we felt we were able to release the valve a little bit with Nightreign and allow for more player freedom and to have a more liberating experience. So with Nightreign, I think really leaning into something new was at the heart of this game, even though we're using Elden Ring as a base, that really gave us a lot of room to explore these battle systems and explore how the player traverses the world. Really really lean into creating a fresh experience there that doesn't feel like it's too tied to the original game in that sense. Screenshot by David Lumb/CNET DL: Speaking of traversal, I can't be the only one who's wondered this: Was there ever fall damage in the game? I love dropping down from a great height. JI: There was actually fall damage at one point, very momentarily. We did study it and try it for a bit but we felt like the game could exist without it. We felt like the game stood up on its own and didn't need it in order to feel thrilling or to feel trepidation of other areas of the game. DL: What are other things players might be surprised to discover had been cut during development or refined into something totally different? JI: I'd say one example of this is the terrain changes that occur in Nightreign. At one point, there was the idea to have different maps -- specific set maps for when you play each session. At one point, we had the idea to try to collapse this into a single map, and instead have these different layers and transformative changes that occur during that session. We thought this could be a new challenge that could set it apart from previous and existing games, give us a new challenge to work with on Nightreign and provide a different gameplay experience as well to extend the breadth of each play session by having this layering feature to the terrain features. We found this added very different gradients to the exploration and to the way each session pans out. When we tried this, we felt like there's no one right answer. There's no one correct way you can do this, it just depends on the game. And this presented a new and interesting challenge for us and a way to, again, spice up the new gameplay in Nightreign. DL: That's interesting and sounds like a lot of development in the game experience. Was Nightreign ever considered as a full-size game like Elden Ring? JI: In a word, no, Nightreign was always considered a smaller, lighter title in comparison to the likes of Elden Ring. But to give a little bit of context to that, during the development of Elden Ring, I myself expressed interest in wanting to direct my own title, and this was picked up by Miyazaki and the other staff at From and I was given this opportunity. Being a new director, we wanted to take things from a smaller scale and a smaller perspective and start with a strong base with Elden Ring. Of course, having had this experience as director, I'd very much like in the future to start completely from scratch and have my own project and see where it can go scope-wise, so I'm looking forward to that opportunity as well. Bandai Namco DL: Now that you've finished Nightreign, what's your favorite part of it? JI: There's a lot of nice things to choose from, a lot about the game I like. But I think one thing we've honed in on with Nightreign in particular is the feeling of being both approachable and light in terms of an RPG, but also quite involved and quite in-depth if you want it to be. I think this is an area that we've managed to hit quite well. DL: And what have you and FromSoftware learned from making Nightreign? JI: I think there's a lot of experience we can take forward into future projects. One thing in particular I think has been really successful and really valuable to work with is this new approach to characters and character design, both from a gameplay and narrative perspective. I think this is a really unique aspect of Nightreign and it's something I think could be developed even further with our future titles, characters feeling unique and interesting in terms of the way they play, the way their controls translate to their unique game feel, and also how you as a player approach and explore their backstories and narratives. These are areas that make Nightreign stand apart from other titles and I think this is something we could definitely improve on and refine going forward. DL: Great. Last question: I beat the final boss yesterday and I just want to know -- have you, in fact, beaten every boss and the final boss yourself? Bandai Namco/Screenshot by CNET JI: Yes, I can hopefully give you reassurance to know that I have beaten all of the game's bosses. I've seen everything it has to offer, both in multiplayer and as a solo player. So I want you and players to know that this is very possible and I want you to have the confidence to give it a try yourself. And in terms of secrets and a narrative as well, I think there's a lot there for players who were invested in that side of it to uncover and I hope you look forward to experiencing everything that Nightreign has to offer. DL: Just to clarify: you solo'd every boss in the game? JI: Yes. And without relics. Elden Ring Nightreign launched on May 30 for PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One consoles for $40. Owning the original Elden Ring is not required to play this game.

‘Elden Ring Nightreign' Is Already Being Patched To Be Easier
‘Elden Ring Nightreign' Is Already Being Patched To Be Easier

Forbes

time2 hours ago

  • Forbes

‘Elden Ring Nightreign' Is Already Being Patched To Be Easier

Elden Ring Nightreign The launch of Elden Ring Nightreign has resulted in all manner of takes about FromSoftware's adventure into a multiplayer-only co-op game. In many ways, it's a lot more punishing than the original Elden Ring and its Souls games, given mechanics like losing levels and tanking entire, lengthy runs on death. Many may say that's part of the fun, and while that may be true, even FromSoft thinks Nightreign may be pushing the limit a little too much. The developer has announced Patch 1.02, set to be released next week, which will make two changes to make things a little easier, especially for solo players. The runes thing is self-explanatory, as runs will now be more rewarding. The auto-revive for solo players on Night Lords is to combat the intense difficulties of those fights where a single wrong move can be death. So now it's…two wrong moves. Though Night Lords are hardly the only bosses that pose an extreme challenge for solo players. Elden Ring Nightreign It's not a blanket difficulty nerf, which I think most players of the game probably would not want. There are certainly mainly complaints about how hard the game is, but even if it's tougher than other FromSoft titles, I think there's a crowd that wants that. FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™ Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase Pinpoint By Linkedin Guess The Category Queens By Linkedin Crown Each Region Crossclimb By Linkedin Unlock A Trivia Ladder However, there are other significant additions players are hoping to see other than what's being offered here. FromSoft has actually apologized for the lack of duos in the game, meaning it's impossible to play with just one other friend, and that should be in development for a later update. The other issues, a lack of in-game comms past pinging and the inability to crossplay with friends, seem harder to overcome and if they were addressed, would take a long time to implement. The lack of comms especially, text or voice, seems bizarre in a wholly co-op game, and results in silent runs with random teammates you have no way to coherently strategize with, and you just have to hope everyone is on the same page. Despite being multiplayer, Elden Ring Nightreign is not a live game. It will not be pumping out content or seasons or things like that. But it will release fixes, updates and features over time. It's good they're starting off quickly here in just week one. Follow me on Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram. Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store