A game-changing race: WRC prepares for a fresh start with Nacon in 2027

Less than a month after finalising its licensing deal with Electronic Arts and Codemasters, the FIA has announced a new agreement that will bring back the WRC games in 2027 with a "brand new series of games" to be developed by Nacon. This marks a fresh start for the iconic franchise, promising a "revolution" in the rally simulation genre.

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"After a comprehensive evaluation, we are delighted to have reached an agreement with Nacon," said Arne Dirks, Chief Marketing Officer of the FIA World Rally Championship.

"Their vision for the franchise stands out and their track record of creating great rally games is unquestionable. We are looking forward to breaking new ground together in this collaboration to truly transform WRC games into epic adventures and offer a gaming experience that goes beyond rallying as we know it today."

The new games will represent a "complete reboot" of the series, Nacon said, including "official rallies, vehicles, teams, drivers and sponsors" as well as other "anticipated content elements". However, the latter can be interpreted as you wish.

"We are delighted to renew our partnership with the WRC Promoter [FIA]," said Alan Falk, CEO of Nacon. "This iconic licence provides an exceptional platform to create a high quality driving experience that meets the expectations of rally fans."

Indeed, this is not Nacon's first attempt at the rally genre: for almost a decade before Codemasters acquired the licence in 2020, Nacon (formerly Bigben Interactive) published official WRC games developed by Kylotonn, a French development studio that Nacon acquired in 2018.

This has led to a somewhat mixed reaction from fans to this new partnership, which builds on Kylotonn's recent history: WRC Generations, the studio's last WRC game (as KT Racing) before this new deal, has a "mixed" review on Steam, as did its last release, Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown. However, other games in the series have been better received: WRC 7, released in 2017, has "very positive" reviews, while the newer WRC 10 has "mostly positive" reviews.

All that said, there's no guarantee that Kylotonn will develop any more WRC games, and while some fans are unhappy about the loss of Codemasters, arguably the most well-known racing game developer, others believe that Kylotonn - if it does get back behind the wheel - deserves a chance.

Nacon stated in its announcement that it has exclusive rights to create WRC games for PC and consoles for "six seasons", with the first one set to begin in 2027. This means that the coming years will be busy for rally racing fans, and possibly bring new standards in the genre.

Source: Globenewswire