Le Mans, France, Monday, 5 June 2023. In recognition of the FIA World Endurance Championship – the ultimate endurance racing challenge, cars representing the ultimate in technology, durability, and performance, and taking place at the ultimate motorsport venue, there can only be one name for the official game for the 24 Hours of Le Mans and FIA WEC: Le Mans Ultimate.
Expected in December 2023, this special centenary year for the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (the ACO), owner and founder of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the game has been developed by Motorsport Games Inc.’s (the “Company” or “Motorsport Games”) Studio 397 and will capture all the emotion, speed and glory of the world’s most famous and prestigious endurance motorsport event. Studio 397, the developer behind the rFactor 2 platform, has a pedigree for gaming and sports car racing – with Studio 397 name reflecting the remarkable feat by Audi Sport in 2010, where its R15 prototype lapped the Circuit de la Sarthe 397 times before taking victory.
The PC-based game will feature official cars and circuits from the 2023 World Endurance Championship season, which, of course, has the 24 Hours of Le Mans as its headline event. Included for the first time will be Hypercars from Ferrari, Peugeot, Porsche and Toyota, which – together with models of all the cars of the 2023 full-season WEC entrants – will be competing on iconic tracks such as Spa-Francorchamps, Monza, Fuji and Circuit de la Sarthe.
As well as high-fidelity models of cars and circuits, class leading physics and performance from the physics engine behind rFactor 2 will be brought into the new game, as well as further innovative gaming and competition features associated with endurance racing. The online gameplay will be powered by RaceControl, a new development from Motorsport Games that powers an interactive multiplayer experience. Features will include both competitive and more casual races, as well as the ability to host a private session. Perhaps most innovatively, the game is planned to include a collaborative asynchronous race mode, whereby a team of players can undertake their stints at a time and date that suits them, with each member fitting in their time in the car around other commitments or time zone restraints.
The fans’ chance to be involved in final development
Invited by the ACO, on site at Circuit de la Sarthe from 7-11 June will be representatives of Le Mans Ultimate who will be offering the fans and spectators a unique First Look Preview Presented by Thrustmaster. Based in the Gaming Zone in the Family Area, there will be 10 simulators on which the general public can either drive the Porsche 963 Hypercar or the Ferrari 488 GTE and emulate their real-life heroes by completing laps of the track.
A competition supported by Thrustmaster allows everyone who signs up to play the game to be entered into a prize draw to win a Limited Edition Thrustmaster T818 Steering Wheel and base. Fans will also be able to give feedback and their views in a post-play survey.
Pierre Fillon, President of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest: “This year the 24 Hours of Le Mans celebrates its centenary and the prestige of the race is unparalleled. It is only natural, in this new golden age of endurance, for fans to want to experience racing first hand, or almost. Today’s video games give them just that opportunity. In the wake of the undisputed success of the Le Mans Virtual Series and the Virtual 24 Hours of Le Mans, Le Mans Ultimate is the... ultimate game when it comes to simulating the sensations racing drivers feel at the wheel. A big thank you to Motorsport Games and Studio 397 for a game that has all the ingredients to be hugely popular!”
Frédéric Lequien, CEO of the FIA World Endurance Championship: “With this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, round four of the FIA WEC, celebrating its 100th anniversary, it has provided the perfect platform for Le Mans Ultimate to be revealed to eager fans across the globe. The team at Motorsport Games and Studio 397 are committed to creating a product which can help bring the joys of endurance racing to gamers all over. We can’t wait to get see the final product later this year!”
Stephen Hood, CEO Motorsport Games: “It’s great to pull the covers off and introduce the world to Le Mans Ultimate for the first time. In this Centenary year, we have been working closely with the ACO to bring the thrill of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the FIA WEC to people all around the world. We aim to help make them feel invested in Le Mans Ultimate from the start, taking them on a gaming journey with updates and behind-the-scenes coverage through our social media channels to show the development and the excitement we all have at Studio 397 and Motorsport Games to produce the best experience for gamers and motorsport fans.”
For more information, visit https://www.lemansultimate.com or follow @LeMansUltimate across social media.
About Motorsport Games:
Motorsport Games, a Motorsport Network company, is a leading racing game developer, publisher and esports ecosystem provider of official motorsport racing series throughout the world. Combining innovative and engaging video games with exciting esports competitions and content for racing fans and gamers, Motorsport Games strives to make the joy of racing accessible to everyone. The Company is the officially licensed video game developer and publisher for iconic motorsport racing series across PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch and mobile, including NASCAR, INDYCAR, 24 Hours of Le Mans and the British Touring Car Championship (“BTCC”), as well as the industry leading rFactor 2 and KartKraft simulations. rFactor 2 also serves as the official sim racing platform of Formula E, while also powering F1 Arcade through a partnership with Kindred Concepts. Motorsport Games is an award-winning esports partner of choice for 24 Hours of Le Mans, Formula E, BTCC, the FIA World Rallycross Championship and the eNASCAR Heat Pro League, among others. Motorsport Games is building a virtual racing ecosystem where each product drives excitement, every esports event is an adventure and every story inspires.
Forward-Looking Statements:
Certain statements in this press release which are not historical facts are forward- looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and are provided pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any statements in this press release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed forward-looking statements. Words such as “continue,” “will,” “may,” “could,” “should,” “expect,” “expected,” “plans,” “intend,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential,” and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements concerning the expected Le Mans Ultimate attributes, performance, benefits and features, rFactor 2 physics engine’s physics and performance, Studio 397’s pedigree for gaming and sports car racing and the features and performance of RaceControl, related products and features and the positive attributes of the products, the benefits and positive attributes of competing on Le Mans Ultimate’s platform on iconic tracks such as Spa-Francorchamps, Monza, Fuji and Circuit de la Sarthe, such as the Company’s belief that rFactor 2 physics engine has class leading physics and performance, that Le Mans Ultimate will capture all the emotion, speed and glory of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and/or and the FIA WEC, that the physics engine behind rFactor 2 has high-fidelity models of cars and circuits, that rFactor 2 is a class leading physics and performance, that the physics engine behind rFactor 2 will be brought into the new Le Mans Ultimate game, that further innovative gaming and competition features will be associated with endurance racing, that Motorsport Games’ newly developed RaceControl will be effective in powering an interactive multiplayer experience, that its features will be successful in the ability to host a private sessions, that the new Le Mans Ultimate game will include a collaborative asynchronous race mode, and whether such mode will enable a team of players to undertake stints at a time and date that suits them, that the First Look Preview Presented will be successful and/or that the new Game’s cars, including Porsche 963 Hypercar or the Ferrari 488 GTE, will enable the users to emulate their real-life heroes by completing laps of the track. All forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements, many of which are generally outside the control of Motorsport Games and are difficult to predict. Examples of such risks and uncertainties include, without limitation: difficulties, delays in or unanticipated events that may impact the timing and expected benefits of the new Le Mans Ultimate game and/or related products and features, such as due to unexpected release delays, whether the reveal of Le Mans Ultimate will be well received and/or successful, whether the team at Motorsport Games and Studio 397 will succeed in creating a product that can help bring the joys of endurance racing to gamers all over, whether the final product will meet the expectations of the fans, users and spectators and/or whether Studio 397 and Motorsport Games will produce the best experience for gamers and motorsport fans. Factors other than those referred to above could also cause Motorsport Games’ results to differ materially from expected results. Additional factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements can be found in Motorsport Games’ filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC during 2023, as well as in its subsequent filings with the SEC. Motorsport Games anticipates that subsequent events and developments may cause its plans, intentions and expectations to change. Motorsport Games assumes no obligation, and it specifically disclaims any intention or obligation, to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by law. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made and should not be relied upon as representing Motorsport Games’ plans and expectations as of any subsequent date. Additionally, the business and financial materials and any other statement or disclosure on, or made available through, Motorsport Games’ website or other websites referenced or linked to this press release shall not be incorporated by reference into this press release.
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