Just a week after TOCA doing the same for the BTCC license, the Motorsport Games IndyCar agreements are set to be canceled as well. The US open-wheel series served the publisher a notice of this intent.
Image credit: Studio 397
The news carousel is not slowing down for Motorsport Games. After TOCA had terminated their BTCC license, it emerged that Motorsport Australia had been shut down. IndyCar fans had little hope left that their favorite series would have a dedicated game soon. IndyCar itself was weighing in its options last week, and appears to have come to a conclusion.
An SEC filing reveals that the premier American open-wheel racing series has delivered a notice to the publisher on November 8 already. According to the filing, IndyCar intents “to terminate two license agreements, each dated July 13, 2021, […] effective immediately.” This appears to include the license to create a dedicated game, as well as one to host esports events and series under the IndyCar banner.
Meanwhile, Motorsport Games “is evaluating the validity of INDYCAR LLC’s notice of termination”, according to the SEC filing. However, the allegations in IndyCar’s notice seem to be hard to disprove. The filing states the following as the reason:
While hardly surprising considering the recent news, the Motorsport Games IndyCar game not seeing the light of day is a bitter pill to swallow for IndyCar fans. The car has appeared in numerous sims and games over time, but the latest dedicated game was released in 2004. For reference, this was while The Split in American Open Wheel Racing was still ongoing. IndyCar Series 2005 portrayed the 2003 Indy Racing League season, which was run exclusively on oval circuits still.
An official IndyCar game could have been a way to reclaim some of this popularity, even if it was only a fraction. Instead of potentially attracting more young future fans, the wait seemingly continues.
Are you going to miss the Motorsport Games IndyCar title? Who would you like to see try their hand at creating a dedicated game for the series? Let us know on Twitter @OverTake_gg or in the comments below!
Image credit: Studio 397
The news carousel is not slowing down for Motorsport Games. After TOCA had terminated their BTCC license, it emerged that Motorsport Australia had been shut down. IndyCar fans had little hope left that their favorite series would have a dedicated game soon. IndyCar itself was weighing in its options last week, and appears to have come to a conclusion.
An SEC filing reveals that the premier American open-wheel racing series has delivered a notice to the publisher on November 8 already. According to the filing, IndyCar intents “to terminate two license agreements, each dated July 13, 2021, […] effective immediately.” This appears to include the license to create a dedicated game, as well as one to host esports events and series under the IndyCar banner.
rFactor 2 Content Also Under Threat?
Based on the wording, this could also include the licensing of content for rFactor 2. The sim had seen the addition of the Dallara IR-18 IndyCar in the specification used since 2021 in early 2022. Other than iRacing, this makes rF2 the only racing simulation that features an official version of the car. Automobilista 2 was on the brink of adding it, but licensing issues prevented Reiza Studios from doing so at the last minute. Instead, the slightly altered Formula USA 2023 appeared in the sim.Meanwhile, Motorsport Games “is evaluating the validity of INDYCAR LLC’s notice of termination”, according to the SEC filing. However, the allegations in IndyCar’s notice seem to be hard to disprove. The filing states the following as the reason:
SEC filing informing about IndyCar's intent of terminating licensing agreements with Motorsport Games.
While hardly surprising considering the recent news, the Motorsport Games IndyCar game not seeing the light of day is a bitter pill to swallow for IndyCar fans. The car has appeared in numerous sims and games over time, but the latest dedicated game was released in 2004. For reference, this was while The Split in American Open Wheel Racing was still ongoing. IndyCar Series 2005 portrayed the 2003 Indy Racing League season, which was run exclusively on oval circuits still.
No IndyCar Game In Almost 20 Years
On the other side of The Split, CART had gone bankrupt and morphed into the Champ Car World Series. Moving in the opposite direction, it did not feature a single oval by its last full season in 2007. In 2008, both series merged again, but had suffered enormously in popularity as a result of The Split.An official IndyCar game could have been a way to reclaim some of this popularity, even if it was only a fraction. Instead of potentially attracting more young future fans, the wait seemingly continues.
Are you going to miss the Motorsport Games IndyCar title? Who would you like to see try their hand at creating a dedicated game for the series? Let us know on Twitter @OverTake_gg or in the comments below!
