Motorsport Games Prepares to Surprise Racing Fans With New NASCAR Title

With the NASCAR season in full swing, there are several fans wanting to experience the tracks for themselves as they watch the race to the playoffs. They can already do so through the NASCAR Heat series, but soon they will have another option. Motorsport Games is gearing up to release a new NASCAR title that will “surprise” racing fans.

Dmitry Kozko, the CEO of Motorsport Games, recently sat down with Heavy to discuss the video game company and its wide array of titles focused on different racing disciplines. He explained during this interview that while NASCAR Heat is a successful property, it does not have everything that he wants to see in a racing video game.

“We hope to surprise with a different approach that we took, more so than Heat,” Kozko told Heavy while avoiding spoilers. “In our mind, Heat was a limited product, something that didn’t have some elements that I would say help portray what the sport is. I think NASCAR’s very, very special and some of those special moments in the real world are forgotten in the Heat franchise. So one thing I will say is that this time around we will be bringing those to light.”

Kozko and Motorsport Games can’t provide many details about the upcoming NASCAR game, but fans will not have to wait for very long. The CEO explained that they will soon begin releasing information about the new property and when fans can get their hands on the virtual stock cars.

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New Partnerships Will Benefit the NASCAR Title

Motorsport Games announced on May 5 the acquisition of Studio 397, the company behind the simulation racing game rFactor 2. The Netherlands-based studio has a longstanding relationship with Motorsport Games, to the point that it is providing vehicle physics, tire modeling, and AI for the new NASCAR game, which will only add a level of authenticity for the racing fans.

“The vision that Steven hood our president, who comes from Codemasters — he was behind the Formula One game division — the vision that he had is that in order to really make a great racing experience, you need to really bring in a different level of technology,” Kozko told Heavy. “So simply put, you need to find the best possible physics engine, AI engine, tire models, like all the different components that make the racing experience great and authentic. And you have to pair that with a kind of world-class visuals.

“I set the vision and said ‘look, something like NASCAR really deserves a AAA type of status of a game.’ He says, ‘well, I know exactly how to do it. We’ve got to make Unreal, we’ve got to pair it with rFactor 2, and we have to focus on portraying the soul aspect of what NASCAR really is.’ Because of that, that’s where we started more than two years ago now collaborating and integrating their technology.”

While Motorsport Games is continuing to push for an authentic NASCAR experience on consoles, it will not be going into iRacing’s territory. Kozko explained that the goal is not to have a game that requires a steering wheel, pedals, and chairs with hydraulics. Instead, they want to create a product that appeals to veteran gamers, casual NASCAR fans, and children just getting into the sport.

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Motorsport Games Will Also Focus on Massive Esports Events

Creating a brand new NASCAR video game is not the only plan in place for 2021. Motorsport Games will also spend considerable time focusing on making a positive impact on the world of esports. The company turned heads in 2020 by helping organize the virtual 24 Hours of Le Mans, which replaced the COVID-postponed race.

Motorsport Games partnered with the Automobile Club de l’Ouest and the FIA World Endurance Championship to bring together 200 drivers from 37 different countries. The field of current and former F1, IndyCar, and Le Mans drivers hopped on simulators and recreated the iconic 24-hour race. More than 60 million people tuned in for the historic event, which could be the first of many.

“It took a lot of planning,” Kozko explained. “[The] first time around, we needed to scramble and get things together and get stuff out, but to do it right, and to do it next level. We’ve already set our own bar quite high, so we want to elevate that further.”

Kozko does not have a concrete date for the next 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual or any upcoming esports races. However, Motorsport Games will provide this information in the near future while simultaneously focusing on the future of NASCAR video games.

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