Project Cars is the upcoming racing simulator title that is currently in development by Slightly Mad Studios, and the game’s funding, as reported, was raised by the community and the developers themselves, without the financial aid of a traditional publisher.
There’s nothing much known about the game at this point, maybe owing to the fact that it’s scheduled for a late release, but scraping from whatever information we have acquired over the past few months, we have garnered quite a bit as to how the game could be presented and what the fans could expect.
Starting off, let’s see what we have in the gameplay section. As reported, the game will feature over 60 licensed cars, alongside 35 different race tracks. It has been stated that the player will have the opportunity to take part in real world racing circuits (this includes kart circuits), with a number of real world locations such as California’s Pacific Coast.
Fans could rest assured that they will get to use the steering wheel in the game after a recent gameplay video featured a car racing along the track with another player using a steering wheel to drive. moreover, there will be dynamic sense for relating to the time of the day the race is happening alongside the same for the in-game weather to make the experience more authentic.
Reportedly, tracks will be named using their geographic position due to legal issues.
Project Cars will be featuring as many as ten game modes that will cover all forms of motorsport, and will also be included in the game as the Franchise Mode, which is basically the career mode. The player will begin his career by Karting and will soon move along the ranks of specialization according to their choices.
The choices include the likes of Rally, Open-Wheel, Le Mans, GT and more, and that obviously means more scope for co-op.
“A simulation like Project Cars will give enthusiasts all over the world the opportunity to experience the unique driving feel of a Pagani. With the support of our technical partners Mercedes-AMG, Brembo and Pirelli , our engineers are working closely with the physics engine developers to create the most realistic experience possible,” Horacio Pagani, founder and chief designer at Pagani Automobili earlier stated.
There will also be the option to compare scores with friends, take up challenges and use the cloud to save in-game content. Mods are also on the cards for those who like to portray a vehicle in their own image.
As far as development is concerned, Creative Director Andy Tudor, in a previous interview, said that he believes that everything about the game depends on the community. And if they found it fit enough, they would fund it.
“So we’re looking at release for next-gen consoles after the current-gen and it would require additional money but we have strong hope that the community sees the potential and decides to fund it,” he said in an interview with Teamvvv.
While Slightly Mad Studios has been in the news recently for its work on Electronic Arts’ Need For Speed franchise and the success it achieved with the SHIFT series, this time around, the company decided to create a game with absolutely no funding from a publisher.
Fans have shown support for the game via the purchase of Tool Packs, and have contributed to the game’s development in bits and parts (including content creation, QA, and marketing media).
Members are now expected to gain special perks, depending on their purchased tool pack, and will also receive 70 percent of game sales profits that will be generated within the first two years after launch as a compensation for their efforts. The amount will be paid quarterly.
Project Cars is scheduled for a Q1 2014 release for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, Wii U and the PC. A possible port for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One for the game is also on the cards if Slightly Mad Studios gets additional funding from the community.