JAKARTA – One of the subscription and paid game services that experienced sudden growth during the pandemic is iRacing. While real-life racing leagues are dying, they are using detailed and realistic racing simulation services as their esports broadcasting platform. In fact, many people are just starting to play to grow their racer base on PC from 110,000 in early 2020 to more than 200,000 today.
Now iRacing.com Motorsport Simulations says it has acquired Monster Games, Inc. (MGI). The Minnesota-based studio developed the first four games under the NASCAR Heat brand and its newest title, SRX: The Game, for PC and PlayStation and Xbox consoles.
A press release, quoted by The Verge, announced the purchase, “The iRacing development team will remain 100% focused on continuing to develop the core product, iRacing.” But Monster Games' experience making console games is definitely part of the plans going forward, as the release also says the deal will "enhance the company's ability to bring high-quality racing games to a wider range of markets, including the console space."
Driven by the growth of its subscribers, iRacing has also recently acquired Orontes Games, which has developed a game engine to power high-resolution graphics and advanced physics for its Drag racing games available through Steam Early Access.
Rich Garcia, CEO of Monster Games, has a history with iRacing CEO, Dave Kaemmer, from the very beginning of Kaemmer's previous company, Papyrus, working on the acclaimed PC racing game. The plan is that MGI will release a title that hasn't been announced in development later this year and then develop the game using resources from all three studios.
More information on what is further promised "in the coming year." However, a quote from Kaemmer provides a strong hint of what we should expect, “We are at a point as a company that we feel comfortable building these two new teams to explore the wider racing game market to finally funnel serious sim racers into our flagship product. , iRacing on PC. The Rich and the Monster team will be an important part of that strategy as we use our code and experience to take their game to new heights.”
A port of iRacing for the PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X seems unlikely, based on that statement, but bringing its ultra-realistic data to racing games made to be played on consoles, as well as advanced tech improvements to the flagship title, seems to be a pretty safe bet.
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