MIAMI, FL – February 2, 2022 - Motorsport Games Inc. (NASDAQ: MSGM) (“Motorsport Games”), a leading racing game developer, publisher, and esports ecosystem provider of official motorsport racing series throughout the world, announces today, in conjunction with INDYCAR, North America’s premier open-wheel racing series, the 2022 INDYCAR-Motorsport Games Pro Challenge, to be held on February 9, 2022. The challenge will feature current NTT INDYCAR SERIES drivers, including reigning champion Alex Palou, four-time Indianapolis 500 champion Helio Castroneves and two-time series champion Josef Newgarden. This marks the first official esports event since the parties entered into an exclusive agreement in July of 2021 for Motorsport Games to produce an INDYCAR virtual race series and debut a new INDYCAR game title expected to launch in 2023 on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC.
Fans can tune in to watch the full program, starting with the pre-show at 6 p.m. EST. The green flag for both heats and the race will drop at 6:30 p.m. EST, with the race conclusion and interviews to take place thereafter at approximately 7:15 p.m.
“The 2022 INDYCAR-Motorsport Games Pro Challenge is our first foray into the world of esports with our new INDYCAR partners and we couldn’t be more excited to bring this competition to the fans,” said George Holmquist, Vice President of Marketing and Publishing at Motorsport Games. “Viewers can expect the same world-class experience as our other esports events, such as the highly renowned Le Mans Virtual Series, to be carried over into this new series. We are excited to continue producing live esports events with INDYCAR in the future, all leading up to our first INDYCAR game title expected to launch in 2023.”
“INDYCAR fans are a passionate, global audience hungry for quality motorsports gaming content,” said SJ Luedtke, Vice President of Marketing at INDYCAR. “With our partners at Motorsport Games, we are now able to bring those same fans a premier virtual esports experience, while also cultivating a new base of INDYCAR supporters and followers. We cannot wait for everyone to see the first-ever INDYCAR-Motorsport Games Pro Challenge this year and we are thrilled to keep producing these events in the many years to follow.”
The full roster of participating drivers and tracks will be announced prior to the final race. The format for each heat and the race will be as follows:
- Heat 1
- 10-minute duration
- Random draw starting grid
- Points will be awarded
- Heat 2
- 10-minute duration
- Starting grid order to be the reverse of Heat 1
- Points will be awarded
- Race
- 20-minute duration
- Starting grid order to be determined by points position after both heats
- Double points will be awarded
The top three finishers will receive donations to a charity of their choice, with first-place winning $10,000, second place $8,000, third place $5,000, and an entrant lottery of $2,500.
In addition to the Pro Challenge, rFactor 2 players will be able to participate in official INDYCAR events through the game's competition system, which has recently undergone a user interface overhaul for 2022. The new UI provides an easy-to-navigate interface that contains all of the options available to players to create an even more robust and authentic driving experience. Players can view a full breakdown of the added videos on Studio397’s website, linked here.
In July of 2021, Motorsport Games and INDYCAR entered into an exclusive partnership to create and distribute INDYCAR video games, with the first game expected to be released in 2023. Together, the companies will create a brand new gaming franchise that has been eagerly anticipated by racing and gaming fans alike. After nearly two decades without a gaming title, the premier North American open-wheel racing series will be back in people’s homes to play at any time.
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