Hope: it’s a word we each hold onto in our own way.
Funny enough, it’s a word I have tattooed on the middle of my upper back. Attached to a heart and wings, embedded within an anchor – which also happens to be the Italian symbol for hope, too. My mom, sister, and I each have the tattoo on different parts of our skin, yet the meaning behind the image is something we all cherish together.
For sim racers, though, the word is a sign of what’s to come in the ever-growing world of esports. One that has now opened its doors to Rennsport, a brand new, PC-only simulator due for release at the end of 2023.
Well, maybe not strictly for us PC folk after all.
Rennsport Co-founder and CEO Morris Hebecker says he’d “love to have it on console,” actually.
“That’s a question we get very often,” he told Traxion.GG’s Thomas Harrison-Lord at the recent reveal summit in Munich, Germany.
“So, ‘you cannot only stay on PC’, [but] console, for me, it’s a bit different. It’s not that open.”
“For me, PC is perfect, and that’s why we really focused on PC, but it would be great to have Rennsport also on console.”
However, the lack of freedom is slightly tricky when it comes to consoles, since Hebecker has high hopes for mod ownership, which of course is much easier when done through the PC version.
In a perfect world, Hebecker wants to allow creators who have crafted new cars, tracks or skin packs within the game to upload their masterpieces for all to enjoy. The catch? Those same creators will be able to charge for those mods, essentially giving the creator a means of receiving legalised revenue.
But don’t worry – it’s not a bleeping NFT game. Hebecker’s words, not mine.
The dream is to give users a new level of sim unlike anything we’ve seen before. And getting back to the big question of bringing Rennsport to console devices, Hebecker seems optimistic about doing just that. With the right support, of course.
“We had several discussions with other publishers. They are interested to bring it to console. We are now really focused on esports and sim racing. And if you jump onto console, you [may] have to modify physics and all these things.
“And this is really a question, how we can do this without losing really the focus we had for the PC product. But yeah, it is an option.”
The market is there, take Assetto Corsa for example, where at least 40 per cent of sales are on console.
With the right support from publishers and even the community of professional sim racers backing the product, too, Rennsport is a glimmer of hope for what the future of simulation gaming holds for us all.
It may even be our sim in shining armour, on PC or even console – under the right circumstances…
Be sure to watch or listen to our podcast episode featuring Rennsport’s Morris Hebecker for a deep dive on the upcoming sim racing title.
