Activision has taken the wheel of the NASCAR gaming franchise, and the publisher announced today its first stock car racer will find its way to retail shelves in early 2011.
Electronic Arts gave up on the long-running NASCAR franchise after NASCAR 09 was published in June 2008 to slow sales and poor reviews. In distancing itself from EA's last effort, Activision stated that
NASCAR The Game 2011 has been built from the ground up to create a "thoroughly new experience."
"While NASCAR has enjoyed a rich history in videogames, we really wanted to take the next generation of NASCAR games to a new level," said Blake Davidson, managing director of licensed products at NASCAR. "By partnering directly with
Eutechnyx, the leading driving game developer in the business, to create NASCAR The Game 2011, we are convinced NASCAR fans and gamers alike will be blown away by the result."
As Davidson stated, UK-based Eutechnyx (2009's Supercar Challenge and the forthcoming biker game, Ride to Hell) is developing, and the studio promises to deliver the "sense of speed and spectacle that embodies NASCAR."
NASCAR The Game 2011 will feature enhanced AI to match real-world driver characteristics, 22 tracks, 16 racer multiplayer, and an experience point system that will allow players to unlock rewards and sponsorships.
"The NASCAR videogame fanbase has been underserved for a long time and we're bringing them something very special," says David Oxford, Activision Publishing.
NASCAR The Game 2011 is set to ship in February 2011 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Nintendo Wii. The world premier trailer for the game will debut at 10 a.m. EST on Sunday, October 3 on NASCAR RaceDay on the Speed network.
Sharkey says: NASCAR is so popular, I was surprised when EA gave up on the franchise, and even more surprised it took years for another publisher to pick up the gaming rights. Then again, I never played any of the NASCAR games, so I have no idea what they were like. NASCAR is not my bag, baby.
