Steam Chart data should always be treated as a rough guide. Omitting sales data, revenue, different PC stores and consoles means it is not a true representation of business success.
F1 Manager 2024 had more concurrent players than its direct predecessor, but it wasn’t enough to prevent the franchise from being cancelled a year early.
Similarly, Le Mans Ultimate is resurgent, reaching new player number heights since its February 2024 release, and (albeit briefly) eclipsing Assetto Corsa Competizione for the first time.
But it doesn’t mean the title, its developers Studio 397 and publisher Motorsport Games are out of the woods. Far from it.
Consequently, its CEO is keeping his feet on the ground regarding the recent successes.
“We were looking at the player numbers this morning,” Stephen Hood explains to Traxion.
“I see the staff chatting and saying ‘Oh, it’s great, we broke through 4k [simultaneous players]’ and now they are going ‘Where’s the 5k? Where’s the 6k? Where’s the 7k?!’
“It’s not just the player numbers, but a combination of things like the general sim racing and community feedback on the product. The sentiment is, at a glance, positive around LMU right now, because people are getting what we are trying to do.
“That is really powerful, but also it needs to be converted into something that’s a meaningful future for the company, which is the current mission.”
The financial position of the platform’s parent company is well documented. Briefly it soaked up several exclusive licencing agreements, burnt through IPO funds, released a sub-standard NASCAR game (its annus horribilis), before cancelling all projects apart from what would become Le Mans Ultimate.
It now clings on, hunting for a new owner, while shifting over 100,000 units of this simulation (plus DLC and subscription revenue). It lost between “$2.5 million to $2.9 million” in Q4 of 2024.
“There are conversations around other series [within Le Mans Ultimate],” continues Hood.
“Is it just WEC and Le Mans? Well, it is right now and one of the reasons why we’ve been successful in competing in that specific area is we are willing to say no.
“People say ‘You could add IMSA. You can have the European Le Mans Series. Why don’t you do the MX-5s or the Porsche Cup?’ and I’m sitting here going ‘Yeah, I’d bloody love to’.
“But I’ve got to say no.
“I’ve got to put the lid on that sweet tin and push it to one side. We must deliver what we’re meant to.
“In the meantime, we are negotiating for the next opportunity, and Le Mans Ultimate is flying the flag for what Studio 397 can do and makes those conversations much easier than they were in the past.
“The licencing conversations are progressing, and I think we will expand Le Mans Ultimate to be much larger than it is today.”
It’s not just focusing on the core product (for now at least) that Hood attributes to the title’s change in fortunes, either – the diminutive team regularly racing with the community is said to be a key element.
“When I was working on the Codemasters Formula 1 games, there were just a handful of us who liked racing games,” he explains.
“Can you imagine that? That isn’t the case at [Le Mans Ultimate developer] Studio 397, because this is their destiny, as far as I’m concerned.
“We’re playing the championships ourselves. We have internal competitions and more and more of the team are playing the game.
“This isn’t designed in the boardroom and then delivered to the players.
“The passion that they have for it goes above and beyond the nine-to-five. They get it and they feel it. The decision making and influence is heavily distributed across the studio, and that means people have got a voice, and I think that’s coming through.”
For current players, the wait is now for May, with the conclusion of 2024-season content (one track, two cars), plus much-requested features such as driver swaps and custom liveries.
This may see a further spike in player numbers for articles and social media posts to highlight – but behind the scenes, know that deals must be done to secure what happens next…
Chat with the Community
Sign Up To CommentIt's completely Free