According to Games Industry, Codemasters has signed an exclusive five-year licensing deal to develop and publish games based on the FIA World Rally Championship series. Kyloton and current publisher BigBen Interactive will keep the license until 2023. Codemasters will then take over through 2027, with plans to release annual WRC games for console, PC and mobile platforms.
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Here are some of the features for WRC 9, which is scheduled for release on September 3 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC from the Epic Games Store, then on PlayStation 5, Xbox One Series X and Nintendo Switch at a later date.
- An enhanced and more challenging Career mode – Hailed as one of the best Career modes in any racing game, WRC 8 was a hit with rally fans. It returns in WRC 9 with enhanced gameplay mechanics, new opportunities to upgrade your team, a wider variety of events and a stronger link to what the real-world championship teams are doing throughout the year.
- Even more content – WRC 9 again includes extensive content with three new events added to the calendar: the return of Kenya’s iconic Safari Rally, Rally Japan and its challenging narrow asphalt roads, the beautiful scenery of Rally New Zealand and two other rallies with completely redesigned environments. Fans will also be able to take the wheel of new classic cars that have left their mark on the history of the WRC.
- An even more realistic game experience – To improve and refine certain vehicle behaviors, the developers have again focused on the realism of car physics – including suspensions, braking and mass transfer – to take authenticity to the next level. This attention to detail faithfully reproduces the vehicles’ responsiveness on all surfaces and in all conditions found in the real championship. A special focus on sound also provides deeper immersion.
