The dirt-speckled WRC racing games that were dumped by Electronic Arts a few weeks ago have already found a new partner in Nacon. The French publishers are promising a “complete reboot” of the rally game series, and have exclusive rights on the grubby wheelspinners until at least 2032. This isn’t the first time the publisher have had stewardship of the WRC either, so it all kinda makes sense.
“Nacon is pleased to announce the signing of a new agreement with WRC Promoter for the publishing of games based on the FIA World Rally Championship,” they said in a press release. “The agreement covers the development and publishing of the official WRC games and eSports competitions, granting Nacon exclusive rights for PC and consoles for six seasons, from 2027 through 2032.
“The games will feature the official rallies, vehicles, teams, drivers, and sponsors among the many anticipated content elements. This project represents a complete reboot of the franchise, based on an entirely fresh vision, and marks an ambitious new chapter in the brand’s development.”
They don’t yet say which studio, in-house or otherwise, will actually develop the vroomy vrooms. But Nacon are the owners of Kylotonn, as PC Gamer point out. Aka, the developers who previously made WRC games for a long time, including WRC 10 in 2021 and WRC Generations in 2022. So the most likely outcome is that the games will be handed back to them.
Meanwhile, the governing body of the rally championship, the FIA (Federation Internationale de l’Automobile), seem happy enough to bounce back to old partners.
“After a comprehensive evaluation, we are delighted to have reached an agreement with Nacon,” said a marketing chief. “Their vision for the franchise stands out, and their expertise in delivering great rally games is unquestioned.”
Well, it is a little questioned. Their most recent game, Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown was badly received, with players complaining about dead servers, crashes, grind, and a lack of an offline single player mode. It’s sitting at a “mostly negative” average on Steam. Their last rally game, WRC Generations, has a “mixed” review average. Perhaps now is the time to check out all those other cool little indie rally games, like #Drive Rally or Parking Garage Rally Circuit or Art Of Rally.