Project Motor Racing races to a November launch with an intriguing single player career
Alongside a single player career mode reveal, Straight4 Studios has confirmed that Project Motor Racing will launch on 24th November across PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC.
Project Motor Racing is a new motorsports sim racer – a spiritual successor to the Project CARS series, coming from Straight4 Studios and former Slightly Mad Studios CEO (and controversially outspoken figurehead) Ian Bell – and is a collaboration between Straight4 Studios and publisher GIANTS Software, who are best known for the Farming Simulator series. The game is incorporating a brand new physics engine, but combining that with the GIANTS game engine… so yes, this is using a farming game engine for motorsports!
The career mode aims to provide a realistic take on motorsports careers, featuring over 70 vehicles from 10 different racing classes, going from 1970s sports cars through to modern GT3s and LMDh hypercars, and it will have 27 scanned real world tracks.
The career mode, as detailed in the trailer, looks fascinating. Instead of something akin to Gran Turismo where you take winnings, earn trophy cars and build a garage, the career gives you a starting point of your choice, and then challenges you to succeed and progress through financial earnings and smart moves. It’s not all about winning, but it is about your winnings.
You’ll have one of three financial backstories, set a location for your team – which affects entry fees and competitions available – and then choose financial backing through sponsors. There’s no car unlocks or levelling up needed for the top tier of racing, outside of simply needing to be able to afford them. Of course, higher and more generous sponsorship models (which could cover travel fees separately from base pay and performance bonuses) will come with higher demands, and if you can’t meet them, you could be out on your ear pretty quickly. Crashes and damage will also have an impact, as that cost comes out of your pocket.
It’s another interesting take on the concept, similar to how Project CARS let you start at any racing category, and will be fascinating to see how the financing is tuned and balanced in the game.
Of course PMR will also have a full suite of online multiplayer racing, focusing on more sim-minded gamers with features like full race weekends to test yourself again.
This is one to keep an eye on for sim-racing fans and those looking for a fresh alternative to the more established examples of the genre.
