iRacing will release two driving video games this year, alongside a slew of new content and updates for its primary platform. It will do the same again next year too. Between now and the end of 2025, that is four standalone games plus eight cycles of fresh live service content – all themed around driving cars, fast.
That’s unprecedented for this diminutive niche within a niche that many refer to as sim racing.
For the Chelmsford-based developer, and more recently publisher, this has not happened overnight. The purveyor of a serious motorsport simulation service went on a spending spree two-and-a-half years ago – picking up DRAG: Outer Zones creator Orontes Games and former NASCAR and Tony Stewart game developers Monster Games.
The latter team would be first out of the gate, with iRacing releasing its official World of Outlaws: Dirt Racing game in 2022, followed by a 2023-season downloadable content pack 11 months later.
Orontes, meanwhile, is believed to be working on multiple projects, and next week, DRAG will be finally released in completed form under the ExoCross moniker.
Then, in September, the World of Outlaws game by Monster will receive a ‘24-spec sequel. Next year will also see the release of NASCAR 25, following the recent purchase of the licensing rights from Motorsport Games, plus an accessible game by Original Fire Games under the working title of ‘iRacing Arcade’.
On paper, a dramatic expansion. But the company is keen to stress that there’s no distraction from what it does best.
Console game revenue put back into iRacing
“Let me jump right to the thing that bugs me the most; nothing that we do with these console products is taking away from anything we do on iRacing,” said iRacing’s Executive Vice President Steve Myers during the fourth annual MS Charity Race event.
“If anything, what it’s done is allow us to bring more people to the iRacing workforce.
“We’ve got the 15 best graphics and sound engineers in the world right now and all different sorts of network engineers from the best companies that are now working on our product because of what we are doing with these console games as we can generate more revenue.
“We can spend more money on resources and the end result is making a better product. Not only on iRacing, but in these console games where we can bring a lot of the experience and knowledge we have… to the projects we are helping to publish or making from scratch.”
Still, an off-road racer set in space seems like a bit of a stretch. It’s important to know, however, that DRAG, now ExoCross, uses a custom-made game engine. The original Orontes team created something completely different, from scratch, and while it is not clear right now, hypothetically it’s possible that learnings from this process could be seen elsewhere.
“Orontes has a beautiful engine and terrific world in that game, so we decided to finish it, but through the process of finishing it we fell in love with it,” continues Myers.
“We have multiplayer races on Tuesday mornings, we have so much fun, my face is tired by the end of the day – face fatigued [from smiling] – just by playing it for an hour.”
NASCAR 25’s Unreal Engine switch
Further down the line, iRacing’s first dedicated NASCAR console game is scheduled. The Minnesota development team, aka Monster Games, finds itself back at the helm for the first time since 2019’s NASCAR Heat 4. This time, under new stewardship and using different technology.
It will jettison the Unity-power graphics engine used for its recent projects (and the upcoming World of Outlaws: Dirt Racing 24) and move to Unreal for NASCAR 25 – which will see real-world NASCAR spotter for Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing, TJ Majors, voice the in-game equivalent.
“We are very deep into a tech study, very far along, a big conversion to that engine,” explained Myers.
“With the World of Outlaws game coming this fall, I’m pretty sure that is going to be the last game on that codebase and everything else coming out of Minnesota is going to be on the new codebase.
“There’s going to be a big leap from World of Outlaws this year to NASCAR 25.”
Finding new sim racing fans
The move is part of a long-term play to diversify income and make sure new virtual racing fans are created when the average age of motorsport fans generaly ages. While Formula 1 is attracting a new demographic, series like IndyCar, for example, have a fanbase that is predominately over the age of 55. NASCAR’s most populous demographic is those aged 55-64.
“It’s a fun year that we have two console games coming out this year, and even more exciting because we have NASCAR 25 next year and our newest game, iRacing Aracade, which it is currently called,” enthused the 24-year sim racing veteran across Papyrus and iRacing.
“iRacing as a business, we’re just getting bigger and stronger. These new projects and things we do are based on the success we’ve had and allow us to grow our business, but also grow our customer base.
“If we can help to make new racers through ExoCross, iRacing Arcade or NASCAR 25, they will hopefully come up and be customers of iRacing and new people to race against.
“It’s a big strategy, we’re looking very far down the road and we have a 10-year plan to really turn into a powerhouse in the gaming space as a publisher and a developer.
“I’m super excited, I wake up every day and can’t believe all the cool games I get to work on now as a company.”
The two-hour 24-minute multi-class race around a virtual Motorsport Arena Oschersleben raised over $34,000 for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, with a driver line-up that included Indianapolis 500 winner Tony Kanaan and NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Dale Earnhardt Jr.
iRacing gaming projects
- World of Outlaws: Dirt Racing – September 2022, plus August 2023 DLC – PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch
- ExoCross (by Orontes Games) – July 2024 (formerly early access title DRAG: Outer Zones) – PC, PlayStation, Xbox
- World of Outlaws: Dirt Racing 24 – September 2024 – PlayStation, Xbox
- NASCAR 25 – 2025, TBC
- ‘iRacing Arcade’ (by Original Fire Games) – 2025, TBC
Chat with the Community
Sign Up To CommentIt's completely Free