What Motorsport Series Would you Like to See Have its Own Game?

BTCC is getting its own racing game.jpg
BTCC, Indycar, GT World Challenge, Formula 1, all these real-world motorsport championships have or are getting their own games. What other championship would you like to see have a dedicated game?

Image Credit: Studio 397

A few weeks ago, I sat down in front of my computer and typed up an article for RaceDepartment's good friends, Overtake.GG. In it, I listed a few real-world championships that would make for excellent dedicated simracing titles.

This focused approach to making a racing game is becoming more popular at the moment. The F1 series of games is growing in popularity, ACC portrays the GT World Challenge to near-perfection and Motorsport Games is working on a number of games in the same style. Furthermore, it turns out that Straight4 Studios might be interested in making a game focused on a specific series and era.


In the listicle on Overtake, I pointed out several modern championships currently growing in popularity. But I also mentioned a time long gone in the history of motorsport. In fact, games made to focus on a specific championship don't have to portray a modern version a said championship. Games like GP Legends and Spirit of Speed 1937 do a great job of immersing the player in a forgotten period.

What's my ultimate dedicated racing simulator?​

As a fan of yesteryear, I certainly stand by my point on recreating the pre-war Grand Prix era as a full racing simulator. If it were to include the preservation required of older mechanics and the idea that any race could end your career, it would make my day.

However, since the Straight4 Studios poll we mentioned last week, I've drifted towards the idea of a historic Can-Am sim. This is an often forgotten time in motorsport history, yet it included some of the most impressive machinery ever seen. Brands like Porsche and McLaren would pump millions into its 1,000-horsepower cars each year with engines needing to be replaced periodically.


The championship visited some of the best North American tracks where danger laid at every turn. Taking the seat of Dan Gurney or Bruce McLaren aboard their Group 7 monsters is a dream I didn't know I had. Whether Ian Bell and his team of developers can put this experience together, we'll have to wait and see until the results of their poll release.

Your ideal championship simulator​

You've heard me bang on about what I'd like to see in a racing simulator focused on a specific championship. But I'm most interested in what concoctions the rest of the community can come up with.

Whether you're looking for a game that only simulates the Brands Hatch Formula Ford Festival, or one that would feature every ACO race on the calendar. Scroll down to the comments and explain what championship you want to see feature in a game and what key features such a game should have.

Which championship do you want to see get its own racing simulator?
About author
Angus Martin
Motorsport gets my blood pumping more than anything else. Be it physical or virtual, I'm down to bang doors.

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Current series
V8 Supercars
BTCC
Formula E

Past series
WSC 1987
BTCC 1997
DRM 1983
Formula 1 1955
 
Pre-war racing (WW2) because it was amazing, dangerous, rules were wide open.
It's an era which is usually ignored which probably makes it a no go commercially.
 
Only one answer
Red bull soapbox
Honestly if this happened and had a detailed soapbox creator with a lot of freedom in it, I'd be all over that.

For me, I'd love to see a proper IMSA title with both top series (Weathertech and Michelin Challenge or whatever they're called this season) with the full allotment of tracks, very good AI, and proper rules including multi-class rules/scoring and behavior.

If we're entertaining vintage content, I'd love a 60s/70s WSC title with a full season including Targa Floria. Or a full Can-Am sim from mid 60s through early 70s. Or a modern GPL release with the full track roster and full F2 roster and a healthy F3 grid... Mostly I want the F2 and F3 cars.

A full Aussie Supercars title would be great, too.
 
Le Mans

Just the track and it's evolutions over the years. And, different periods to race in. Like start Pre-War, then 50s, 60s, and so on. Have it time scaled so you can race for 24 minutes or the full 24 hours, and anywhere in between. Simulate not only the cars, but mechanical failures and such based on the real world data for the vehicles. Play as one driver, both drivers, or even the team manager calling the shots!
 
D
Most important is new LMd/ LMdH stuff.

Is the licence to expensive than switch easy to DRM
 
1998 BTCC. Best ever. TOCA 2 with sim physics, laser scanned tracks and the British weather. What more do you want!
 
Truthfully, almost any series, anywhere, any cars! Just give us the whole series please, all the cars and all the tracks. No more of this here's a few cars and a few tracks from the XYZ series and a few from the QRS series and a few from .... know what I mean?
 
Premium
Truthfully, almost any series, anywhere, any cars! Just give us the whole series please, all the cars and all the tracks. No more of this here's a few cars and a few tracks from the XYZ series and a few from the QRS series and a few from .... know what I mean?
I think I know what you mean, where in Classic/Historic car races in Gran Turismo you'd have a mix that might include a 917K, a 2J Chaparral, 427 Cobra, Mini, Mustang, Lotus Elan... daft really, it's as if the devs think that a smattering of iconic cars will please us suckers. for me it's the other way round, I see it really as a bit of a lazy insult.
I'd far rather the devs actually looked at the entry list of a season and went to work on it the cars the tracks, the drivers and the adverts (though some are banned now)
it would also be interesting to work on the builds and reliability and IA for those races, I'm not saying that they should repeat the race and just throw the player in, simply that some cars were (even the same model) more reliable than others... and some teams squeezed a little more hp out of an engine than others, let the player work on it, (I know that the interweb would work out the best combo's and blast it for everyone to read, but that's the way of the interweb nerds... they need recognition) but I feel that when you end up driving for the wrong team it can be fun.
 
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So my question is why do you want a Game based on only 1 series. Modern day simulators we need as much variety as possible. I only want the ability to setup a series, Championship based on a certain Motorsport Series.

ACC started with GT3 only and now they added GT4 and BMW Cup.

But if their had to be a single series I would like the BTCC series. But it would have to be an exceptional game.
I think the general thought is that games that try and focus on too many types of racing too quickly fall flat. ACC stuck to GT3 for quite a long time before releasing GT4 and the like, and those series are only a small departure from GT3 and they're under the same racing association so it's relatively easy regarding licensing and game design.

I could be wrong, but lots of games don't license a series as it's expensive, so they license a car or two from a series instead and maybe a track or two. This way you get a little it of the experience but not a whole experience and it always feels half baked and you wonder "what it?" ACC is doing a wonderful job because they don't overreach by including two 90s GT1 cars followed by a couple BTCC cars before adding a random F1 car from 1968 (just examples).

I just really hope that we see more games focusing around recreating entire experiences, and it's painful to see that it takes dedicated and talented modders to get us anywhere near those experiences. And it's simply because companies are unable to take on a dedicated series because if it doesn't sell they will go under. Though I think if anyone can get it right, it's Kunos based on the general consistency of ACC.
 
One thing we shouldn't really do is blame the devs for the lack of full series, it's pretty clear from what I've read that getting the licenses at a reasonable price is often difficult when the rights holders are greedy ****ers. I'm pretty sure Aussie Supercars and BTCC are well documented series where the license holders want too much money.
 
I think the general thought is that games that try and focus on too many types of racing too quickly fall flat. ACC stuck to GT3 for quite a long time before releasing GT4 and the like, and those series are only a small departure from GT3 and they're under the same racing association so it's relatively easy regarding licensing and game design.

I could be wrong, but lots of games don't license a series as it's expensive, so they license a car or two from a series instead and maybe a track or two. This way you get a little it of the experience but not a whole experience and it always feels half baked and you wonder "what it?" ACC is doing a wonderful job because they don't overreach by including two 90s GT1 cars followed by a couple BTCC cars before adding a random F1 car from 1968 (just examples).

I just really hope that we see more games focusing around recreating entire experiences, and it's painful to see that it takes dedicated and talented modders to get us anywhere near those experiences. And it's simply because companies are unable to take on a dedicated series because if it doesn't sell they will go under. Though I think if anyone can get it right, it's Kunos based on the general consistency of ACC.
There may be another concern about recreating old series : are the series still able to sell license rights?

Can the WSC sell the license for the 1973 cars? Or does a developper have to pay rights for each car to each brand? And then forget the brands which have disappeared.

I'm sure the recent championships contracts take video games in account, but in the 70s... I don't know how they were written, ut we already know that car manufacturers can directly sell the license of their own cars with the liveries of old championships. They may pay something to the championship owner or they are just free to do it, and this would mean the owner of the championship is not allowed to sell the license (of all the grid).
 

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