Not content with Hot Wheels cars recently releasing within Forza Horizon 4, toy manufacturer Mattel has pursued a standalone model car-based racing game – Hot Wheels Unleashed – and it will release 30th September 2021.
The new game promises “action-packed arcade-style racing”, and an initial reveal trailer visualises famous Hot Wheels models racing against each other across a living room scenario on giant orange circuits. It’s like a playset from a toy shop brought to life.
Before you get too excited, that’s not gameplay footage, but we would expect some relatively soon with the game releasing this year.
Unleashed will be available on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series, Nintendo Switch and PC and is being developed by Italian racing game studio Milestone.
Milestone developed the motorcycle game Ride 4 and creates the yearly Monster Energy Supercross, MXGP and MotoGP bike racing games. Prior to that, it also made games with four-wheeled vehicles too, most notably Gravel, Sébastien Loeb Rally Evo and two Superstars V8 Racing titles.
The tracks in the game will be set in real-life environments across a variety of single-player modes. Interestingly, there will be online racing too and split-screen offline multiplayer. In addition, a Track Editor will also be present, enabling the sharing and downloading of user-created layouts. It will also feature officially licenced vehicles from the Hot Wheels model range, with the option of customising skin designs.
“Milestone’s expertise in racing game development has enabled us to transform the Hot Wheels brand into a compelling console and PC gaming experience for both current Hot Wheels fans and gamers who may be rediscovering the iconic brand,” said Andrew Chan, Head of Digital Gaming, Mattel.
From a pragmatic point of view, we’re looking forward to seeing more footage closer to the release and how the main single-player modes are structured. On the flip side, orange tracks inside a living room evoking childhood memories – yes, please!
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