Rennsport has announced today (19th August 2024) that Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah Corniche Circuit is coming to the sim, replete with impressive day-to-night transitions.
This marks the first time the track will appear in a sim outside of EA SPORTS’ F1 franchise and coincides with the commencement of the ESL R1 finals at the Esports World Cup, also based in Saudi Arabia.
The EWC is a huge esports event that runs through July and August and encompasses the full gamut of professional esports titles, including Rocket League, Call of Duty, Counter-Strike 2, Starcraft II and, thanks to ESL R1, Rennsport, with a total cash prize pool measured at over $60 million USD. This has led to ‘sportwashing’ claims over Saudi Arabia’s less-than-exemplary human rights record.
ESL R1 itself has a purse of $500,000, with organiser ESL owned by PIF-funded Savvy Games Group. Rennsport has been the platform of choice for ESL R1 thus far, with the finest sim racers on the planet battling it out using the game’s array of GT3 cars from Porsche, BMW, Audi and Mercedes-AMG.
Although no announcement has been made regarding the Rennsport release date of the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, it is expected before the GT World Challenge Europe series visits the track for the 6 Hours of Jeddah on the 30th of November, with ESL R1 competitors perhaps even using it during this weekend’s racing.
The super-fast street circuit is a firm favourite with drivers thanks to its blind entries and high-speed turns and will help boost Rennsport’s rather threadbare track roster as the sim moves ahead with its Open Beta phase towards an Early Access release in Q4 this year.
What do you think about the Jeddah Corniche Circuit’s addition to Rennsport? Let us know in the comments below.
