Less than a month after the end of its licensing deal with Electronic Arts racing studio Codemasters, the FIA has announced a new deal to bring WRC racing games back in 2027 with an "all-new WRC games series" being developed by Nacon.
"After a comprehensive evaluation, we are delighted to have reached an agreement with Nacon," FIA World Rally Championship chief marketing officer Arne Dirks said in the announcement (via Wario64).
"Their vision for the franchise stands out, and their expertise in delivering great rally games is unquestioned. We look forward to breaking new ground together in this collaboration, to truly turn the WRC games into epic adventures and offer gaming experiences beyond rally as we know it today."
The new games will represent a "complete reboot" of the series, Nacon said, featuring "official rallies, vehicles, teams, drivers, and sponsors," as well as other "anticipated content elements," which I hope isn't an oblique reference to live service features.
"We are thrilled to renew our collaboration with WRC Promoter [FIA]," Nacon CEO Alan Falc said. "This iconic license provides an exceptional playground to build a highly refined driving experience that lives up to the expectations of rally fans."
And indeed, this is not Nacon's first kick at the rallying can: For nearly a decade prior to Codemasters acquiring the license in 2020, Nacon (formerly Bigben Interactive) published official WRC games developed by Kylotonn, a French development studio that Nacon acquired in 2018.
That's led to something of a mixed reaction from fans about this new partnership, which is a little joke based on Kylotonn's recent history: WRC Generations, the studio's final WRC game (as KT Racing) prior to this new deal, has a "mixed" rating on Steam, as does its most recent release, Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown. Other games in the series have been more well received, though: WRC 7, released in 2017, has a "very positive" rating, while the more recent WRC 10 is "mostly positive."
All that said, there's no guarantee Kylotonn will handle development of the new WRC games, and while some fans are unhappy about the loss of Codemasters, probably the best-known developer of racing games in existence, others think Kylotonn—if it does end up back behind the wheel—deserves a shot. "Their games were getting quite good," redditor Adaax wrote. "The only thing you don't get is the full AAA polish that Codemasters could provide. But it's good to have something given how EA is giving up on rally racing."
Redditor Mront, while not especially thrilled about Nacon's involvement, added that "Kylotonn's WRC games were okay-to-good and getting better with every new release, and it's cool to see them back in action."
Nacon said in its announcement that it has the exclusive rights to make WRC games for PC and consoles for "six seasons," with the first set to begin in 2027.
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