Frontier Developments right now introduced that they’ve landed a license to make a number of years of Formula One administration games, with the primary launching for the 2022 season. They’re the studio behind the light administration of Planet Zoo and Planet Coaster [pictured above -obvs ed.] in addition to the spacemurders of Elite: Dangerous, and isn’t F1 actually nearly pleasing crowds with vibrant beetles constructed of space-age expertise? The actual form of those games is a thriller for now, as Frontier had been saying the license not any explicit game. But it’s a administration game so, y’know, managing groups and that.
“We are delighted to announce this multi-year licence deal with F1,” Frontier CEO David Braben stated in today’s announcement. “F1 is one of the most popular global sporting franchises in the world, and we believe the combination of the F1 brand together with our extensive experience in management games will deliver fantastic game experiences to a wide and varied audience around the world.”
Frontier plan to make 4 F1 administration games, launched yearly, for PC and consoles.
I assume they’ll do the standard administration stuff. Run a breeding scheme producing well being vehicles with numerous genetic inventory. Put extra salt into petrol tanks so vehicles get thirstier and must take extra pit stops. Hiring mascots to face across the observe and entertain drivers. Designing tracks scary sufficient to thrill drivers however not harmful sufficient to launch them into orbit. Stopping dinosaurs from breaking containment. You know, administration game stuff.
We are curiously missing massive(ish)-budget racing administration games on PC. Sega had a crack a number of years again with Motorsport Manager however, not like Football Manager, haven’t saved that rolling. Landing the F1 license is sort of the coup for Frontier. They don’t have a lot expertise within the space however they do now have the largest identify.
It appears F1 will not be the mysterious new license Frontier had boasted about touchdown final yr, in order that they nonetheless have one other thriller up their sleeve. Today’s announcement talks about “the signing of the F1 Licence and the IP licence previously announced in March 2019” as separate issues, so… who is aware of what that’s? Me, I do. I’m nonetheless assured that Frontier are making either Batmanager or Warhammer 40,000: Golden Throneland.
