Formula One fans have not just one, but two official titles of their favorite racing series to choose from: For one, they can take the wheel themselves in the EA Sports F1 series, with F1 23 being the most recent entry, and on the other hand, managing all the details of a team is possible in F1 Manager 2023. Both series might be missing out, however, as there is no overlap between them.
Image credit: Frontier Developments
Both the F1 series and F1 Manager share great visual presentation and the atmosphere of an F1 race weekend, but they are very different in their respective natures: F1 23 takes the practical approach, making players the center of the action by placing them in the virtual cockpit. F1 Manager 2023, on the other hand, gives them control of everything but driving the car itself.
Granted, F1 23 and its predecessors branch out into the management aspects of the F1 world via My Team and Career modes, but it does not quite reach the depth and detail of running your own Formula One team that F1 Manager 2023 presents. And why would it - the latter is a dedicated management game, the former is a racing title.
Choosing between taking control of Ferrari behind the scenes and behind the wheel? Why not combine both? Image credit: EA Sports
When FIFA 2004 and Total Club Manager 2004 were released in late 2003, they introduced a brand-new feature that basically combined both games: Called Football Fusion, players could expand their manager career by actually playing the games that would otherwise be simulated themselves using FIFA 2004. This required them to own both games, which were using the same engine at the time.
This does not mean that the regular management game modes of the F1 series should be scratched, but rather that this would be a great expansion to the experience for owners of both games. It would likely be complicated to merge both titles, but it would be something fresh for F1 fans to sink their teeth into for quite a while.
Image credit: Frontier Developments
Both the F1 series and F1 Manager share great visual presentation and the atmosphere of an F1 race weekend, but they are very different in their respective natures: F1 23 takes the practical approach, making players the center of the action by placing them in the virtual cockpit. F1 Manager 2023, on the other hand, gives them control of everything but driving the car itself.
Granted, F1 23 and its predecessors branch out into the management aspects of the F1 world via My Team and Career modes, but it does not quite reach the depth and detail of running your own Formula One team that F1 Manager 2023 presents. And why would it - the latter is a dedicated management game, the former is a racing title.
EA Has Done It Before
But both could be vastly enhanced by creating an overlap that just is not there at the moment. The precedent is a different EA Sports franchise and almost 20 years old: In the early 2000s, EA Sports not only released the yearly FIFA games for soccer/football fans, but also the Total Club Manager series. The principle for the titles was the same as it is now with the F1 games in question: FIFA let players actually play the games, Total Club Manager saw them take control of every managerial aspect of their team.Choosing between taking control of Ferrari behind the scenes and behind the wheel? Why not combine both? Image credit: EA Sports
When FIFA 2004 and Total Club Manager 2004 were released in late 2003, they introduced a brand-new feature that basically combined both games: Called Football Fusion, players could expand their manager career by actually playing the games that would otherwise be simulated themselves using FIFA 2004. This required them to own both games, which were using the same engine at the time.
Depth That Would Be Hard to Beat
F1 23 and F1 Manager 2023 do not share the same game engine, but should they move closer to each other, a crossover akin to that of FIFA and Total Club Manager would vastly expand the possibilities for players who want to fully take control of an F1 team, including on the track. F1 Manager careers would see them take the wheel for Grand Prix weekends using F1 23, and the latter's My Team and Career modes could be made much deeper if the game transitioned to F1 Manager in between the races.This does not mean that the regular management game modes of the F1 series should be scratched, but rather that this would be a great expansion to the experience for owners of both games. It would likely be complicated to merge both titles, but it would be something fresh for F1 fans to sink their teeth into for quite a while.
