Why Are Racing Developers Heading to the PC?

Gamasutra: Opportunities for developers of racing games seem to have taken a detour. The console track has narrowed to just a few high-profile vehicles, like Sony's Gran Turismo, Microsoft's Forza Motorsport, Electronic Arts' Need For Speed and Codemasters' Dirt. Indeed, many studios with racing experience have shuttered as demand for other titles has disappeared.

[Yodagamer]

simple, less competition, along with better hardware for physics and graphics

[NYC_Gamer]

plus they can break even/enjoy more profit without having to sell millions of copies.it's really cutting out the middleman since all sales will be digital.

[papashango]

As far as racing goes consoles only have 2 real racing sim franchises. Though imo I wouldn't even call them sims. There's quite a bit on pc so the less competition claim is false.

[Yodagamer]

@Papashango, by less compition i mean less big names are involve in the pc sims, so by going on pc you have a chance to be that big name if your popular enough

[john2]

You think it's less competitive? I think not. rFactor 2, iRacing, Asseto Corsa, Project CARS. Add to them Live For Speed that has a lot of followers and you have a pretty BIG competition.

Fact is that the sim racing model is ideal for the PC market. The whole idea of community-based development can't work on consoles for a lot of reasons (freedom and the pay model for two). Developers can earn a lot, provided they give their community what they want to

[blind-reaper]

Those are no-names for the general public (even mainstream gamers), there is no way those names can compete with the marketing muscle from Sony and the GT brand and Microsoft with Forza.

[lodossrage]

You're very wrong on that. The computer racing market has plenty of competition.

The difference is most computer games don't get the kind of mainstream recognition Gran Turismo or Forza do. Therefore because of that, the computer landscape for racing games is more evenly matched whereas on the home system you'd have to deal with either Gran Turismo or Forza...or both if you're multiplatform based

[Yodagamer]

That is what i meant it doesn't have the competion of the big names like forza and gran turismo, it is more open and developer friendly, which allow people to experiment on pc without effecting there bottom line like they would if it was on a console

[Dee_91]

Why Are Racing Developers Heading to the PC? because their not
You just asked a question to a lie
PC has always had a big list of racing developers.
Racing games on pc isnt new

[lodossrage]

But hey, they have to get their hits right? Even if is by falsified methods.

Computer gaming indeed has been home to many racing developers for more than a decade. But we know how the media works. Anything for that extra hit

[Maddens Raiders]

as long as Polyphony, Kaz, & GT are on a PlayStation console, that's *more than good enough for me & millions of others worldwide.

[Britainz-Fin3st]

I think that the reason there are fewer racers on console as to pc is because Gran turismo, Forza, NFS are all very well established names and i believe they all do an excellent job in being able to offer the experience that they do and i believe the developers of said games are able to push the hardware further and get alot more from the console then say another developer, meaning compared to the competition those 3 games offer a game which looks better, plays better and offers more.

my two cents

**should read artcicle first but pretty similar**

[potenquatro]

hardware has become more of a reson now.

[xtreampro]

Because they can achieve something like this http://www.youtube.com/watc...

Consoles can't handle a racing sim as detailed as CARS is and will be when it's finished at 1080p 60fps or above.

[Terarmzar]

That looked really good, but is it just me or did the cars seem to have a float like look to them. It looks really good though.

[Voxelman]

the game is still early Alpha stage, physics still need a lot of polish, it's still pretty great considering how early it is.

[Britainz-Fin3st]

That looks amazing
but im willing to bet that is not someone playing the game.

[Letros]

It is, why would you think otherwise?

[Britainz-Fin3st]

@letros

because developers are known for showing of cgi footage and claiming its gameplay, to hype the game.

GT5, forza, nfs, they have all done it..

I specificaly remember thew ps3 f1 launch title, i got the ps3 just for that and i still remember the "in game trailer" which, to be fair looked nothing like the final product.

Since then i never trust a video called "gameplay" inless i can see the person playing via a camera of screen.

Also forgot to say, theres a difference between in game footage, and game play footage.
Sometimes they use the game engine? i think? which makes the video "not cgi"? but still far superior to the end product.
Gears of war comes to mind.

[lodossrage]

It has nothing to do with what a Home system can or can't do. We know a home system is limited compared to a computer.

The issue lies in the fact that they can't compete with Gran Turismo or Forza. Just read the article and one of them is even blatantly telling you that.

[kmanmx]

Compete ? Perhaps not in terms of licensing and quantity of cars and soundtracks which require huge budgets.

But in terms of realism and graphics PC is way ahead. PC Sims look better, are more realistic, and you can play online with 64racers in some games. You could never do this on console without big sacrifices.

[lodossrage]

Then you go tell that to the developers that SAID they can't compete with Gran Turismo and Forza IN THE ARTICLE if you happen to read it.

As I just stated, Being BETTER isn't the issue. Getting NOTICE IS.

If you make a sim on the ps3, your FIRST thought has to be "how can i take out Gran Turismo.

If you make a sim on the 360, your FIRST thought has to be "how can i take out Forza".

If you make a sim on the computer, you FIRST thought is "i have to take out......(crickets)"

See what's being said there? There is no MAJOR competitor on the Computer racing landscape. No Household name. No competitor backed by a powerhouse company.

THEREFORE, they don't have to worry about having to COMPETE with a well-known adversary.

[xtreampro]

You need to read it again about another 100 times.

And I hope you understood that quote because he's not saying their too good to compete with in terms of grpahics/physics but in terms of general popularity.

If a new sim that is 100 times more realistic than both Forza and GT was to be released on consoles it would still sell badly because of GT and Forzas foundation.

At least being on the PC they can get recognized (and it has all the best sims anyway).

[lodossrage]

Why don't you read around the top half of the second page.

I'll even go quote some of it for you.

"That's because any new console racers would compete head-to-head with Gran Turismo and Forza Motorsport, which are already on their fourth or fifth iterations, Tudor says. "Trying to win that war would be very difficult, requiring lots of money, lots of time, lots of licenses, and a big team to do it well."

Now it's up to you if you want to read the rest in its entirety

[ULTIMATE_REVENGE]

"If you make a sim on the computer, you FIRST thought is "i have to take out......(crickets)"

You sad console fanboy, he clearly mentioned a couple of PC racing sims and yet you say there's no one to compete with on the PC. Are you sure you never skimmed through the article just to grab a quote that you think supports your ridiculous post? Because I think you did.

He could could have listed about 20+ sim racers on the PC if he wanted to.

[Me-Time]

Dip-shit. You sad, sad person.

[Hicken]

And, as good as they are, not ONE of them has a name that commands as much power or market as Gran Turismo or Forza Motorsport.

Yes, there are some standout titles, like iRacing and C.A.R.S., but those names aren't nearly as dangerous as the two big console sims.

THAT is the point, Mr. Revenge.

[ChiVoLok0]

I miss decent-good racing games being released yearly. Now they all suck. We need NFS Underground 3 and a new Midnight Club.

[josephayal]

Dont know why, the PS3 is way more powerfull than any high end gaming PC

[maverick40]

what the hell is wrong with you?

[vortis]

Dude, you just got trolled.

He wasn't even trying to make a half-way sensible comment or contribute to the discussion.

[TXIDarkAvenger]

I hope to see some more high-end racing games heading to the PC. I mean visuals=mind blowing.

[Voxelman]

Imagine what Forza 4 would look like if Turn10 ported Forza 4 to PC with full DX11, tessellation, 1080p with good AA.

Might even beat out project CARS

[vortis]

Dude, don't put those kind of thoughts in my head...I'll be up all night drooling about some of the dream cars I could customize with full AT, AA, MSAA and DX11 support on XFired AMD cards...*drools*

[ironfist92]

Shift 2 was amazing, cant wait for CARS, and hopefully Shift 3

[PastyGangster]

C.A.R.S looks amazing, visually and the physics look nice as well.

[vortis]

Shift 2 had some huge physics issues especially with the turning. It's like they couldn't decide if they wanted it to be a sim or an arcade racer and I found myself quickly disliking the game after "figuring" out the turning mechanics.

Compared to iRacing and other sim-oriented racers Shift 2 was a real let-down.

[PastyGangster]

Cause PC's can handle more than consoles? obviously.

[kevnb]

The transition from retail to dd is pretty much done, things are more stable now.

[Sgt_Slaughter]

Because the games are easily sold through Steam and other digital markets and the modding community helps expand the game even further.

[birdykilla]

Agree^

Where's the talk about Midnight Club: LA. Also devs if you'd like for people to notice you and buy your games, then make really good games and watch the money flow in.

Also put a little into marketing or at least give out some free copies to people like the G4TV staff, and others to raise a little awareness that your game exist and its worth my money. Easier said than done I know, if your game isn't better than Midnight Club then you need to think about putting more love into making your games.

[birdykilla]

With Gran Turismo XL Edition out for only $40 and Forza 4 could be $40, any new games that come out are going to have to be either better, or cost less. So There's really not a whole lot devs can do. Forza has tightened up the microsoft crowd and Gran Turismo has the PS3 crowd so off to the PC it is.