Image Space Incorporated Making a NASCAR Game?

[Paul Jeffrey]

Ok so pure speculation on my part, but with an increased posting of NASCAR related topics on their social media accounts, one wonders if WIP "not rF3" might just have an oval theme...

Image Space Incorporated have maintained a total wall of silence since handing over the reigns for rFactor 2 to @Marcel Offermans Studio 397 outfit back in September, with talk of a mystery racing game under development "based on the rFactor 2 platform".

Since the change of ownership with rFactor 2, ISI and all concerned have remained tight lipped on the new project dubbed 'not rF3', with not even a hint of speculation as to what the new title is about, when it will be released or even if Image Space Incorporated are planning on once again going down the simulation route with their new game.

As one would expect from a developer no longer actively involved in a public game project, all social media accounts for the team over in America basically fell dormant for a long period of time, save for the odd re tweet of rFactor 2 related competition information (think Vegas $1m eRace for example).

Interestingly however in recent weeks the developer Facebook account has fired back in to life one again, and features a bunch of seemingly fairly unrelated NASCAR themed content...

Now I know the team are American, and NASCAR is rather big over in the US, so I suppose it isn't beyond the wildest realms of the imagination to believe this is just a pure coincidence.. however with a full ten months having passed since Studio 397 took over rF2, and with ISI already working away at the new game, is it such a long shot to believe we could be getting some kind of indication from the developers as to the direction of the next title sometime in the near future?

Appreciate I've managed to make an article out of nothing here, and will probably get a bit of hammer in the comments for writing about a "non news story", but speculation is fun and I thought it worth putting my thoughts down on (virtual) paper for you all to discuss.

So.... discuss!

 

[ears]

I'll get interested once they sell it to Studio 397.

 

[RufGTI]

Pretend PRC?

 

[DaVeX↯]

We basically have 2 potential titles at the moment which have been under heavy speculation about ISI involvement...
GTR3
AMS2
The idea to see a new NASCAR game under ISI flag is tempting so now speculation titles raise to 3...
Half life 3 confirm...ahem....nevermind, wrong genre...

 

[David Wright]

I think the posts seem more related to rFactor Pro. I never got the impression ISI were really NASCAR fans - it seemed to come as an afterthought in both rF1 and rF2.

 

[DaVeX↯]

On rF2 Discord I asked about ISI work and Twhtly said we will have some news or reveal next year...

 

[jpalesi]

If they release another sim, they'd be inspired do a better job than rF2. Fool me once...
Also, the excuse of not having visual damage because you're not supposed to crash in a sim won't work if they indeed do a NASCAR game.

 

[Raikku]

Now thats interesting. Definitely going to buy that. Would be nice have other Nascars than just iR's.

 

[MarcG]

 

[The Flying Hun]

Of one thing we can be certain: after past days' news, it is a safe bet that they are not working on a DTM title (anymore).

 

[thewarmer]

As Trump would say Fake story no substance , less substance & content than the Chocolate cake I am now eating the best cake ever ............ enjoy...

 

[Paul Jeffrey]

See told you everyone would be negative in the comments

Come on folks, rather than complain about it being "no news", lets just have some bloody fun speculating!!! Not like by posting this I've had to not report some "real" news

 

[Andy_J]

I say bring back Papyrus for Nascar Racing 2018.

 

[Will Mazeo]

the rf2 twitter also used the NASCAR article, I think it's more about the use of the engine than a game

 

[Sascha Henken]

I say bring back Papyrus for Nascar Racing 2018.

Unfortunately that won´t happen anymore since iRacing has the code and they are the founders of Papyrus.

My own oppinion about this news:

I´m split between this article. ISI has dropped rF2 to Studio397 for a reason since ISI has stopped active development on rF2 even before it was given into other hands. And now starting a speculation indicating ISI probably starts development on a new stockcar racing game? I´m not sure about that and I don´t believe it as long as official news will be posted about it.

The last NASCAR game i´ve enjoyed the most was NR2003. Apart from that I enjoyed NASCAR Thunder 2005 from EA Sports as well with a little of career mode in it etc. But let´s see. It´s interesting to read such an article because the motivation of writing this article must come from somewhere and not just on a random shot of the author.

Definately I would welcome a puristic NASCAR game. Let´s see what the future brings to us

 

[thewarmer]

Why not I am sure ISI who did make a Nascar game for EA way back has some of us remember along with their F1 games back then.
I am sure they would like some thing that brings in big revenue RF2 did not work out for them for sure & they must have taken a big hit money wise on that product hence selling it on to a 3rd party to further develop.
Still allowing for the limited sales market for Nascar games I think they would turn a better profit than the last RF did.
The Sim market change between the end of RF1 & during the early development of RF2 . Games like AC changed the PC sim market and the P-Cars came along & even Sector 3 managed to scrabble back from the brink. ISI moved to late to Steam & then I think lacked the funding to move RF 2 forwards.
Not sure what they have planed but any new sim be it RF3 or Nascar will have to match the standard now found in the current top dogs in PC sim racing like Licences content good online code Plug and play gaming & eye candy graphics . That is what most want these days.

 

[Timmy UK]

Hey, why not.
Could be fun.
This is kind of what I thought was going on when they still had RF2.
Oval tracks, stock cars, honestly thought that they could be going after iracing.
You know, same type of cars and tracks, add in the structure and there you are..
And then it all fell to bits..
Maybe they are still thinking about the NASCAR bit...
Interesting..
Good find Paul.

 

[DaVeX↯]

An historic cars based SIM...?
NASCAR license is sold
F1 one too
GT same?
Historic...seems logical...or not?

 

[David Dominguez]

I think the posts seem more related to rFactor Pro. I never got the impression ISI were really NASCAR fans - it seemed to come as an afterthought in both rF1 and rF2.

This.

 

[@apocapollo]

No.

704 owns the exclusive license to NASCAR games.

This is 100% talking about rFactor Pro - the Chevrolet simulator that Hendrick Motorsports uses is powered by rFactor Pro. In fact, Alex Bowman, Hendrick's full-time simulator driver was announced just this week to be the replacement of Dale Earnhardt Jr's 88 car in 2018.

The first screenshot is of a post talking about the rFactor Pro simulator.

The second screenshot is of Hendrick drivers talking about the rFactor Pro simulator.

What you see in the third screenshot is of a link to a TV segment where FOX took cameras into the simulator and filmed Jeff Gordon and Alex Bowman testing.

tl;dr - rFactor Pro and the idea of putting reserve drivers in the simulator has been a hot topic in NASCAR season and we've seen lots of media coverage. More or less, the broadcasters think it's an interesting topic and they've decided to talk about it - it certainly keeps the millennial and Gen. Z fans entertained.