Managing Director Marcel Offermans Leaves Studio 397


The rumblings under the Motorsport Games umbrella do not seem to stop: While news on the rFactor 2 side have been positive recently with the announcement of exciting content due this month, the end of May is going to be the end of Studio 397’s Managing Director Marcel Offermans at the company.

Offermans is not the first higher-up to decide that it is time to move on: In early April, it became known that Motorsport Games' President Stephen Hood had left the company, just as the planned BTCC game faced a delay that by now looks like a complete cancellation of the project.

What Offermans’ departure means for the future of rFactor 2 remains to be seen. He shared a YouTube video (see above) titled “So long, and thanks for all the fish!”, a reference to a famous book by Douglas Adams with the same name. The video shows his beloved GTE Corvette exiting the final turn of Circuit Zandvoort at night, followed by a statement regarding his departure.

“By the end of May, it is time to move on”, states Offermans while simultaneously expressing his gratitude for his time with Studio 397: “Over time, we grew the user base by an order of magnitude, improved just about every aspect of the simulation and did some really cool projects and collaboration.” Offermans has been with Studio 397 since 2016.

Update: according to this SEC filing the heads of Luminis, the previous owners of Studio 397, received a million dollars to complete the acquisition of the company but with 2.2 million being differered for undisclosed reasons.​

Interestingly, his successor is apparently already in place to take over in June: “I am leaving rFactor 2 in very capable hands”, reads the penultimate line of Offermans’ statement – although it is not yet known who is going to take over the reigns or what the future holds regarding the simulation. The next content drop including two BTCC cars plus Donington Park, Brands Hatch and Laguna Seca is expected sometime in May.

What are your thoughts regarding this news? Let us know on Twitter @RaceDepartment or in the comments below!
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About author
Yannik Haustein
Yannik Haustein
Lifelong motorsport enthusiast and sim racing aficionado, walking racing history encyclopedia.

Sim racing editor, streamer and one half of the SimRacing Buddies podcast (warning, German!).

Heel & Toe Gang 4 life :D

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Comments

Jonny Austin
sbabb said:
none of those people have any credible source nor insight tho, its all pure speculation, possibly just trying to jump onboard the train since this topic is hotly debated, its really just opinion not facts atm
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The sources of the bad news are the company itself!It is done unless a millionaire decides to pour away some more money into the failed company.Much cheaper to buy the assets (RF2,Kartkraft)when its gone
You also dont need sources to know as soon as Nascar21 failed in a big way they did not have enough income for future projects.RF2 dlc is not going to finance Nascar22,WEC,Indycar & BTCC games.
 
Shannon Flynn
This doesn't sit well with me. Could just be business as usual personnel shuffling since S397 is now owned by a "big corporation". I hope that's the case.

Either way, thanks Marcel for all your work righting the ship left by ISI. Hope to see you heading up another sim project in the future!
 
Sebastian Skinnari
sbabb said:
none of those people have any credible source nor insight tho, its all pure speculation, possibly just trying to jump onboard the train since this topic is hotly debated, its really just opinion not facts atm
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thats your opinion, and do you have a credible source? Upper Echelon Gaming is one the best on YT and does not make videos on just his own opinion but real facts.
 
P
Personally, I don't think these are bad news.

The core of rFactor 2 has been rotting in the same state that ISI left it. I hope that with a new CEO comes a proper intent of pushing simulation forward, like incorporating a gearbox physics model that actually does something, or improving aero so a fast car does not have to be setup like a drifting trike. This would also need hiring more staff possibly, I hope they have the budget for it.

Of course, it could also be a worse outcome and the fleshing out of the peripherial stuff like content, UI and such halts completely, which I hope it's not the case.

Offermars may have saved rF2 from death, but what I think is that at this moment in time, they need somebody else in charge to keep on pushing the development of the sim.
 
S
Sebastian Skinnari said:
thats your opinion, and do you have a credible source? Upper Echelon Gaming is one the best on YT and does not make videos on just his own opinion but real facts.
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I didnt make any claims about something I am not involved in, thats the difference, I dont need a source for saying that things some people are claiming are not guaranteed to be correct, unless there is proper evidence its just useless to discuss it further, those things can be true or not and I dont claim which is which, those people do and therefor they have to supply beliveable sources
 
L
MSG essentially defaulted on 2.2 mil of the remaining amount owed to Luminous. (Was due last week) MSG have nothing of note being released in the next year except a couple tracks and cars in the most niche sim possibly ever and the head of S397 just bailed.
RF2 itself has little to no value for anyone to buy it and continue to support it. 505 buying Kunos was a specific plan to bring it to console and RF2 isn't 'bout that life.

Rf2 will be a great league sim but the game will never be fixed, so you will be able to run the lowest tire pressures, soft springs and detached rear arb in every single car on a static road temperature, no punctures, manual transmissions that will never get fixed, a turbo vs non turbo engine will have no affect based on elevation and puddles on the road are just there to be pretty. If you're ok with all that, then you'll continue to enjoy RF2 for what it is. The sim is enjoyable and does things well, but I don't see it improving because financially MSG can't support a dud and are more likely to focus on console and mobile games.
 
Austin Ogonoski
vitorhs said:
you mean.. the tracks and cars recycled from the MSGM's BTCC dead game?.

Fanboys gonna fanboy..

The parent company is dying
They are recycling assets into RF2
The guy behind the game is leaving

but the fanboy.....

View attachment 564309
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I struggle to understand how rF2 has such passionate fans they border on lunacy.

Nothing the game does is all that better than isiMotor 1 titles. A good rFactor or AMS1 content is on par with good stuff in rF2. And now there are AI and scoring issues introduced, that the original game does not suffer from.
 
Sebastian Skinnari
sbabb said:
I didnt make any claims about something I am not involved in, thats the difference, I dont need a source for saying that things some people are claiming are not guaranteed to be correct, unless there is proper evidence its just useless to discuss it further, those things can be true or not and I dont claim which is which, those people do and therefor they have to supply beliveable sources
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you claimed that they dont have believable sources for example. The sources is open so show what is wrong with the them...
 
Amir Vodokotlic
let me help you understand why MSGM is about to be dissolved and rf2 future is bleak very bleak.

see there is this magic time (2020 to 2021) where everyone was taking out loans on top of loans because the Federal Reserve printed trillions of dollars.

zero percent interest rate doesn't matter what business you ran it was free money.

well here is where rug pull came (for everything) and now msgm is going otc.

they won't be able to pay off their loans and unless someone comes along to pick this up.
it doesn't look good at all.

yFUy9hX.png
 
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kart1
Austin Ogonoski said:
I struggle to understand how rF2 has such passionate fans they border on lunacy.

Nothing the game does is all that better than isiMotor 1 titles. A good rFactor or AMS1 content is on par with good stuff in rF2. And now there are AI and scoring issues introduced, that the original game does not suffer from.
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Once again you're talking ****, is it just to fan the flames of hatred you have for rf2 or do you have a really shitty grasp on physics and simracing in general?
 
Austin Ogonoski
kart1 said:
Once again you're talking ****, is it just to fan the flames of hatred you have for rf2 or do you have a really shitty grasp on physics and simracing in general?
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No actually I own rFactor 2 and anytime I try to do a race the game falls apart in just a few corners. I used to race online when R2P was still a thing and it was basically rF1 with a new coat of paint.

And then when I post evidence of this happening there are at least five people who show up to aggressively call me names and claim I don't know what I'm talking about.

I'm not saying you're an astroturfer, but if you were, what exactly would you be doing differently?


 
B
Premium
Austin Ogonoski said:
I struggle to understand how rF2 has such passionate fans they border on lunacy.

Nothing the game does is all that better than isiMotor 1 titles. A good rFactor or AMS1 content is on par with good stuff in rF2. And now there are AI and scoring issues introduced, that the original game does not suffer from.
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Fact is rF2 has an unmatched driving experience... IMO ACC is the only sim that comes close to it.
(All the corporate noise you post about is meaningless to the game experience)... we are not investors and don't give two cents on the money side of things. NONE of that affects our/your experience on how rF2 drives. Give you some perspective... some thought when ISI sold rF2 to S397 that was the end, but in reality S397 it gave it new life. Lets hope this is the same.
 
kart1
Austin Ogonoski said:
No actually I own rFactor 2 and anytime I try to do a race the game falls apart in just a few corners. I used to race online when R2P was still a thing and it was basically rF1 with a new coat of paint.

And then when I post evidence of this happening there are at least five people who show up to aggressively call me names and claim I don't know what I'm talking about.

I'm not saying you're an astroturfer, but if you were, what exactly would you be doing differently?


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I don't watch random videos, I make my own opinion and to say that rf2 physics are less good or of the same level as rf1/ams1 is to lose all credibility, the physics are not irreproachable but far from rf1 or ams, moreover the physics of AC or Iracing also have their share of problem you don't know it you don't play it or you close your eyes maybe...
 

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