Fans of the British Touring Car Championship, or classic racing games including TOCA, will be pleased to know that the rumours are true. There’s a new BTCC game and eSports confirmed for 2022. Three years after it was originally hinted at, Motosport Games has announced a multi-year agreement to produce games for the PC and next gen consoles, plus a mobile version.
It’ll be 25 years since the original TOCA Touring Car Championship appeared for the PlayStation and PC, and the Codemasters series quickly drifted into including other racing disciplines and more arcade style racing. Since then, we’ve seen huge changes in sim racing games, including the success of single-series titles including Assetto Corsa Competizione.
And Motorsport Games do have experience of developing a franchise based around a specific championship with the NASCAR Heat series, now up to NASCAR Heat 5.
Motorsport Games’ Creative Director, Paul Coleman, said: “There is a clear demand and appetite for a new touring car game, and we are delighted that we are going to make that a reality. Many of the staff in our studio have fond memories of the TOCA game series and my first job in the games industry was actually working on TOCA Race Driver 2 as a QA Tester. We have some exciting plans that we cannot wait to reveal.”
It will be really interesting to see what happens with the new BTCC game, particularly around eSports, as Motorsports Games have a rich history of events including the 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual, the eNASCAR Heat Pro League, and losts more.
Alan Gow, BTCC Chief Executive, said: “Finally, I’m proud to say that the huge demand from the BTCC and TOCA game fans is being answered. Just like the original BTCC/TOCA game, this will be a dedicated BTCC game featuring all the cars, all the teams, all the drivers and all the circuits – not merely some elements partially incorporated into an existing game.
“It is hugely important to me, our teams, drivers and fans that any new BTCC game reflected exactly what everyone loves about our championship; the incredibly close non-stop action, intense competition and great enjoyment. I’ve no doubt that Motorsport Games will deliver exactly that.”
Stephen Hood, President of Motorsport Games, commented: “This partnership is a clear signal of the enormous trust that the BTCC has placed in Motorsport Games. Our team demonstrated real enthusiasm for the project from day one, and our ambitions were immediately aligned. The opportunity is clear for all to see and we look forward to deploying the significant and proven capabilities of our esports, game development and media teams to return this series back to the forefront of gaming.”
So we can definitely look forward to seeing all the teams, circuits and drivers from the British Touring Car Championship, and presumably some support series, all virtually recreated. And there could well be an eBTCC Pro League to run alongside it.
Hopefully they might even include some of the classic touring cars of the past. We can only hope and pray that the Volvo 850 Estate from the 1994 season makes an appearance.
Now we just have to wait and see if Motorsport Games can deliver on the level of quality modern sim racers expect. But giving themselves until 2022 should mean they have the time to get things right.
In the meantime, you can still pick up the classic TOCA titles (and the hardware to play them on), via eBay or Amazon.
Leave a Reply