Paul Jeffrey
Premium
For those of us old enough to remember, sim racing used to be a very straightforward game - namely a sole focus on a single series or cars.
Casting the mind back to yesteryear, many of us will remember such classics as GP Legends, GTR1 & 2, Microprose Grand Prix series and of course the wonderful Race07 WTCC game. These titles, created by very different developers, all shared one pretty glaring similarity - they each represented in virtual form a single racing series, Formula One, the FIA GT Series, and the FIA World Touring Car Championships respectively (ok Race07 added a few expansions later, but you get the point...).
As sim racing and computer technology in general developed in the following years it would be noted that this trend took a dramatic turn, started by the legendary rFactor title from ISI, becoming more of a mixed bag collection of first and third party content from a variety of racing disciplines and performance road cars the world over. Gone would be the days of replicating a real series in all of its complicated glory, replaced instead by an eclectic and often disjointed selection of cars and tracks that did, and often did not, complement each other in the virtual gaming environment.
With Assetto Corsa Competizione now picking up the baton of the single series license once again, thanks to the official partnership with the Blancpain GT Series, and with the long awaited GTR 3 constantly lurking in the background, sim racing could be about to see another change in direction, returning to its roots as developers look to leverage the prestige of an official real world series onto our gaming screens.
Of course the likes of rFactor, Project Cars, RaceRoom Racing Experience and Assetto Corsa often hold something of interest for everyone, especially thanks to the wonderful modding community that has been active for some many years, but has the hunger for such diverse titles dimmed slightly in the sim racing community, and is a return to a more focused simulation that diverts its considerable attention to just a single series the future the majority of players would like to see?
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