It’s the news that all aficianados of adrenaline-drenched, hyper-accurate racing have been waiting for: Wing Racers Sports Games are partnering with Slightly Mad Studios to deliver the world’s fastest motorsport direct to PCs this year with Red Bull Air Race – The Game. Hot on the heels of the million-selling and critically acclaimed Project CARS, they’re delivering a best-in-class and incredibly realistic take on Red Bull’s thrilling Air Race Championship. Initially launching as a limited beta on PC in the first half of 2016, the game’s doing something a little different in the free-to-play space. Instead of asking players to be whales, it’s partnering with some of the world’s biggest and best-known brands to deliver a new take on free-to-play gaming. The downloadable title will explicitly distance itself from finance models that suck all the fun out of gaming and, instead of annoying gamers with a pay-to-win scheme, will present spectacular challenges without any gameplay limitations whatsoever.
Compared to many other free-to-play games, Red Bull Air Race – The Game will not gate its content in a way that allows only the highest paying customers to have all the fun. "Right from the start, we developed this project as a cooperative effort with interesting sponsors. As such, it will benefit from the immense draw of the official license and from our versatility to integrate marketing partners," said Jens Ott, Managing Director at Wing Racers Sports Games. "We’re incredibly excited to be working with Red Bull on this amazing opportunity. We’ve identified a unique business model that’s a win for all involved: fantastic exposure for some of the world’s greatest brands, authentic and ever-changing track dressing just like in real-life motorsports, and a move away from free-to-play’s traditional nickel-and-diming for the players.”
Erich Wolf, Red Bull Air Race General Manager, said, “We are absolutely sure that Esport fans will enjoy the features of our game. It is a fantastic way to bring our sport closer to everybody who doesn’t sit in a race plane every day.”
Red Bull Air Race - The Game will undergo a staged roll-out later this year. Underpinned by Slightly Mad’s in-house Madness engine, the game benefits from support for scalability, bleeding-edge virtual reality and more. Strapping an Oculus Rift to one's head and soaring across the skies of Chiba, Ascot or Spielberg is as close as it gets to the real thing and a truly unprecedented experience in gaming. To achieve maximum authenticity, all race tracks and pilots of the 2016 Red Bull Air World Championship will be included, as well. For more information about Red Bull Air Race, please visit www.redbullairrace.com.