Sim racing heavyweight, iRacing, announced today that it has acquired the exclusive license to produce simulation style NASCAR racing games for consoles from Motorsport Games Inc. With that, it plans to launch its own console game in 2025.
The well-regarded studio has one of the leading stock car simulation engines, and iRacing has partnered with NASCAR since 2010. However, the game is currently only available on PC, which limits the number of gamers it can reach.
“When we were approached with the option to acquire the license for the simulation-style NASCAR console game, which was the console game and franchise that we were dreaming about doing, it was an opportunity we couldn’t pass up,” said iRacing President Tony Gardner. “Having the ability to build a NASCAR console game is a privilege we promise to execute with the utmost care.”
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The news will likely be viewed with excitement by NASCAR fans and sim racing fans alike. iRacing’s technology is so well regarded that it has been used by NASCAR to develop new cars and tracks, including the NextGen car, and the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum event, among others.
The acquisition should lead to an improvement in the quality of simulation-style NASCAR console games, which have struggled under Motorsport Games’ stewardship. Its latest game, NASCAR Heat 5, has a Metacritic score of 69 out of 100, and was accused of being too similar to the previous entry in the series, NASCAR Heat 4.
“The sale of the NASCAR license is the result of a thorough, strategic review of where we believe our company should be headed over the longer-term,” said Stephen Hood, CEO of Motorsport Games. “In our exploration of the sale, we gave due consideration to those companies we believed could develop a great NASCAR game.”
The move will likely also be good news for NASCAR, which will be able to expand its relationship with iRacing to reach out to more fans than ever. The brands already work together on a number of events, and the game studio will be able to include NASCAR Team Properties in an official console game.
“iRacing has been an incredible partner and ambassador for the NASCAR industry for more than a decade,” said Nick Rend, NASCAR’s managing director for Esports and gaming. “We thank Motorsport Games for its efforts over the years and are ready to work with iRacing to deliver a best-in-class simulation-style NASCAR console game that’s exciting for the gaming community and allows our fans to connect with the sport in an impactful, meaningful way.”
