Motorsport Games To "Accelerate Efforts" For Le Mans Ultimate Console Versions

Le-Mans-Ultimate-PlayStation-Xbox-Development-Accelerated.jpg
Image: Motorsport Games / Studio 397
Le Mans Ultimate is in the middle of completing its 2024 WEC season content. The game could come to consoles sooner than later, too, as Motorsport Games decided to "accelerate efforts".

Since its Early Access release in February 2024, Le Mans Ultimate has progressed steadily, with a long list of things still to do as of August 2024. The official WEC game has started releasing 2024 season content ahead of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June, with three more DLC packs set to follow.

Console versions of LMU have not been a priority thus far, but it looks like this is going to change. In its Q2 Financial Report, developer/publisher Motorsport Games implies that the prospect of Le Mans Ultimate on Xbox and PlayStation should gain more traction. MSG CEO Stephen Hood is quoted stating that "given the strong reception to our ongoing development of the Le Mans Ultimate game, we have decided to accelerate efforts to bring this title to games consoles and reach a larger audience."

It is likely that LMU's excursions to the European WEC rounds could have sparked this thought, as the game was playable at the events - an opportunity that many endurance racing fans took. As consoles are more accessible, the question about LMU coming to Xbox and PlayStation was most likely very present at the Le Mans Ultimate tent.

Most recently, the first DLC pack containing the Peugeot 9X8 Evo, Lamborghini SC63 and Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari Imola was launched for the game.


Major Revenue Stream Set To Disappear​

Additionally, it could be a way to open up another revenue stream for the company - and one that is very much needed.

As the Finanical Report states, MSG "expects to continue to have a net cash outflow from operations for the foreseeable future as it continues to develop its product portfolio and invest in developing new video game titles."

While the company did post an increase of "cash and cash equivalents of approximately $0.5 million, which increased to $1.3 million as of July 31, 2024", it also notes that this increase was "primarily due to $0.9 million in net proceeds received from a registered direct offering transaction that closed on July 29, 2024." Put a bit simpler, MSG sold a significant chunk of shares to "use the net proceeds from this offering for working capital and general corporate purposes", according to the corresponding press release.

Motorsport-Games-NASCAR-Heat-5.jpg

Image: Motorsport Games / 704Games

Furthermore, the latest SEC Filing of Motorsport Games points out that most of the company's revenue in Q2 was not generated by the sales of Le Mans Ultimate, but rather their NASCAR games - namely 55.5%. Considering that after the sale of the NASCAR license to iRacing MSG can only sell these games until the end of 2024, a major revenue stream is set to disappear for the company.

"Concurrently with the sale of our NASCAR License, we entered into an agreement with NTP pursuant to which we have a limited non-exclusive right and license to, among other things, sell our NASCAR games and DLCs that are currently in our product portfolio through December 31, 2024 (the “NASCAR New Limited License”)."
MSG Q2 2024 SEC Filing explaining the NASCAR license situation (found under "Item 2").

To combat this, Motorsport Games is "actively exploring several options, including, but not limited to: i) additional funding in the form of potential equity and/or debt financing arrangements or similar transactions; ii) other strategic alternatives for its business, including, but not limited to, the sale or licensing of the Company’s assets in addition to its recent sales of its NASCAR license and Traxion; and iii) further cost reduction and restructuring initiatives."

Would you like to see Le Mans Ultimate come to consoles? What are your thoughts on the update on Motorsport Games? Let us know on Twitter @OverTake_gg or in the comments below!
About author
Yannik Haustein
Lifelong motorsport enthusiast and sim racing aficionado, walking racing history encyclopedia.

Sim racing editor, streamer and one half of the SimRacing Buddies podcast (warning, German!).

Heel & Toe Gang 4 life :D

Comments

I don't know how many people are in the same position as I, holding out completely on the purchase of this title until it becomes a more fleshed out game. But I find what the article states (I couldn't read the Q2 report for some reason), quite worrying, as it seems to point that income avenues are closing down, and the cash liquidity is small for the expenses MSG has had for a long while.
Exactly in the same position. And, as I stated earlier and as you are saying, this move is due to a slowing down in PC sales, and users. Obviously MSG's reputation has generated an upper limit sales which won't go higher until the company gets some trust from users like us, the non believers. And now it needs new sales for the end of the year and, most probably, for 2025, to fullfill the top management promises, and so the consoles versions have to be rushed.

It is a very critical time unfortunately for the game, I personnally would like it to be fully released in a good state and I sincerly wish MSG to succeed, but I won't get involved in this early access ; I have enough of MSG's unfinished (kartkraft, rfactor2, Nascar Ignition) and broken games (NH5), great products destroyed by bad top level and maybe mid level management. Being the result of the former team doesn't matter, the company still has a responsability to these games and is still selling them as finished products, znd that's the new team.

LMU for sure is a promising game, the one I'd been waiting for years as a GTR2 succesor. But not an trust in MotorScam Games. Devs raremy learn from their mistakes. MSG on consoles should have a better reputation (NH5 works fine of I'm not wrong, except the 4th gear bug in Atlanta, but not sure, Ignition is relatively bad, but no rfcator2, no kartkraft...), the upper sales limit due to non believers probably doesn't exist, so consoles is a good way to search for revenues. It is just financial make up, nothing to do with rational development. That won't get my trust back...
 
Funny though to consider that, while simcade, it was more of a game than LMU ever wishes to be today...
  • It had 10 tracks.
  • Included 25 unique car models split into 3 categories (40 skins total, without duplicates to represent different series...).
  • Several game modes - quick race (arcade depending your localisation), time trial, a championship mode and a local multiplayer.
  • Featured day night-cycle and a weather system.
  • It had a replay mode from day 1 (I mean there was no patch/DLC at that time...).
  • You could save your progress mid-session in the pits.
  • Did not crash...
And it was released in November 99 in Europe, 25 years ago in 3 months, just let that sink.
To be fair, comparing these games is like comparing carots and beans. The old Le mans game is in the league of Hot Lap Racing, a modern arcade game. It wouldn't come to anyone's mind to compare LMU and Hot Lap Racing, would it?
 
Last edited:
I assume these are the average players count. As always, this specific figure is the worst one to use, being the most irrelevant one. Overtake have taken the same irrelevant boat than Racedepartment . What you need to analyse are ratios, never raw figures :

- number of players / number of sales (and you'll understand AC is the worst sim and a bad Steam game in terms of satisfaction or longevity ; many have bought it but most buyers aren't playing it).

- number of users who have launched the game more than 100 times in a considered period (6 months, a year, a year and a half) with an average session of one hour / number of days of the considered period.

These are simple examples but they tell much more about the games than the average number of players.

LMU's raw low figure can mean many things :

- good sales thanks to the early access price but users not using it, waiting for it to be in a better state ; it doesn't mean they lost interest, just that they don't want to experience the game in an unsatisfying state ;

- most users like offline races but the lack of features makes their ingame time limited, so there are many players but not connected at the same time ;

- the game has a solid egular player base, making a good community, although small, but sufficient to find races, to play with.

As you see, there's nothing to conclude with raw figures. I have explained it a few times in RD's "most played games of the month" articles before, Overtake's authord don't seem to understand, but these articles have been misleading the racing community's opinions for too long. It is not because some authors are not able to understand basic statistics concepts that they should be followed ; they are just wrong and irrelevant.

In every aspect of life, if you are trying to reason about something sith raw figures, you can bet you're missing the point. Use ratios.
 
I have absolutely no issues with releasing console versions, what I have an issue with is if they slow down PC development to speed up the console release as an obvious way to appease the money men next financial year as the case seems to be. PC sales won't last forever so the sooner they can get it out on consoles to get some extra cash the better for them, but at what cost to us? Does VR get delayed? Do core sim bugs & features get delayed? Are they throwing all their eggs into the console basket in the hope they'll get enough money to continue development for longer on both PC & console?

Seems to me it's the same MSG as it's always been, haphazard without a clear direction, surely getting the PC version out of EA and the best it can be should be priority before you even start to think about a console release.
 
I see the trolls who don't bother to read are out in force again...

Good to read that MSGS/S397 is doing so well with LMU they can afford to hire a team to port it to consoles, just like what Kunos did with ACC before it was ready to take out of the oven as well...
Trolls where ? doing so well omfg you are delusional ? what 100k sales, will need everyone of them to buy dlc to save their ass. Tell us how many ppl have invested in MSG since LMU ? Before that only big mike owns MSG i bet still the only owner investor. I remember MARRS saying biggest track sold in rf2 never made back the investment.
 
Last edited:
Make 1 working car, get the races working seamlessly with one car, speed up the loading screens, get the main race, championship and AI sorted. Complete the game. Then, add the other cars. Rather than do everything to 50% completion, then announce DLC, console ports, pay to play multiplayer, championships comings soon... do the basics fully, cleanly, then add complication to that foundation.
 
What's all this Subscription stuff as well?! The more I read the more I'm further away from ever purchasing this title.
 
Let's call a spade a spade, LMU is just the latest desperate attempt to make money by exploiting the newfound hype for a championship that seemed headed for a definite conclusion had there not been the rule change resulting in the entry of Ferrari and other automakers of some weight. But no matter how hard they try to do something different the management, and gestation, of this "sim" is what it is, and it certainly will not have a long life.

Then someone even brought in ACC ...
But I would like to remind you that Kunos its products make the most of them and in fact they still make quite a lot many years later, and they are also a small team, don't think that they are in who knows how many people, it's not like S397 that what it makes it breaks down ...

I'm sorry but even now I still don't tolerate the fact that they won't support rF2 anymore, mainly that's also why so many people didn't pick up, or take advantage of, LMU. rF2 is a milestone of simracing that still needs so much support and updates, and to be told that they won't support it anymore to give 100% to this stuff here ... makes me sick to my stomach.

I wish them all the best in the world but we already know how it will end, other than buying the dlc still in full EA, but please ...
 
Trolls where ? doing so well omfg you are delusional ? what 100k sales, will need everyone of them to buy dlc to save their ass. Tell us how many ppl have invested in MSG since LMU ? Before that only big mike owns MSG i bet still the only owner investor. I remember MARRS saying biggest track sold in rf2 never made back the investment.

You are the troll because you have a differnt opinion!! If you don't want to be part of this shi*sho* you are a hater and the reason this company will face its downfall. XD

pz666 in 3...2...1
 
I'd be more inclined to get LMU dlc if they would (or would have) finished the BTCC cars. Leaving them with 1/4 of the cars essentially in a different class, and therefore useless for racing with the other 3/4s, does not fill me with confidence that their approach to LMU will be much different.
 
What's all this Subscription stuff as well?! The more I read the more I'm further away from ever purchasing this title.
The subscription doesn't stop you from playing online or using the base game. This has already been clarified by the CEO Stephen Hood in an interview with Traxxion. The sub is optional and only has extra things if players use it. There will be those who willingly spread misinformation because of hate for MSG.
 
I'd be more inclined to get LMU dlc if they would (or would have) finished the BTCC cars. Leaving them with 1/4 of the cars essentially in a different class, and therefore useless for racing with the other 3/4s, does not fill me with confidence that their approach to LMU will be much different.
you can maybe join a league if you want a better BOP. BTCC are a joy to drive/race
 
Let's call a spade a spade, LMU is just the latest desperate attempt to make money by exploiting the newfound hype for a championship that seemed headed for a definite conclusion had there not been the rule change resulting in the entry of Ferrari and other automakers of some weight. But no matter how hard they try to do something different the management, and gestation, of this "sim" is what it is, and it certainly will not have a long life.

Then someone even brought in ACC ...
But I would like to remind you that Kunos its products make the most of them and in fact they still make quite a lot many years later, and they are also a small team, don't think that they are in who knows how many people, it's not like S397 that what it makes it breaks down ...

I'm sorry but even now I still don't tolerate the fact that they won't support rF2 anymore, mainly that's also why so many people didn't pick up, or take advantage of, LMU. rF2 is a milestone of simracing that still needs so much support and updates, and to be told that they won't support it anymore to give 100% to this stuff here ... makes me sick to my stomach.

I wish them all the best in the world but we already know how it will end, other than buying the dlc still in full EA, but please ...
People have prayed for MSG's downfall for ages but they are still here or better yet most of the bad management is gone and greatly downsized to most to few from MSG and most of S397 team left. Rf2 needs to be in the rearview mirror for S397 to move forward. RF2 as many sim racers know has left a bad taste for many and I say this as a huge RF2 fan. I love the sim but I can't make the majority of the sim racers have this conclusion. S397 has done their best with RF2 with MSG funding which has brought a lot of updates to the sim. Like racing against cars you don't own, ingame shop, the ability to manage mods in the game and so on.

Things they've done in LMU would have been difficult to achieve in RF2 because it would have broken a lot of the code as stated many times by S397. The team aren't obligated to support Rf2 forever and Kunos did the same as the state they left AC in only for the community of modders to save it. AC wouldn't be what it is today without the modder's support.
 
Premium
DLC, lanzamiento de consola y el juego todavía tiene problemas, no hay soporte para triple y vr
Por suerte no lo compré, no confiaba en el MSG y me lo confirmaron...espero que quiebren pronto y se quiten del medio....
The game It works with triples from day one!. It's quite another thing if you don't know how to set it up.
 
Premium
Sinceramente, MSG es una broma. RF2 tiene un juego/simulador en EA y ni siquiera ha llegado a la etapa de lanzamiento 1.0. Ahora quiere pasar a la consola. ¿Estás bromeando? Veo que se avecina otro fracaso, siempre tratando de hacer demasiado con un equipo tan pequeño. ¿Es un adiós o buena suerte para MSG?
I think the release on consoles will be in 2025. The 2025 WEC calendar is identical to that of 2024 and only the Aston Martin Valkyrie is added. On PC they may be planning to add the Lemans Cup by 2025
 
OverTake
Premium
Things they've done in LMU would have been difficult to achieve in RF2 because it would have broken a lot of the code as stated many times by S397
That is not just black and white. Given first version of LMU was rf2, so yeah the development of the code lead to them being able to implement some things. But that could have been done just as easily in rf2 - given its the same code that was developed.
But yeah, progress comes along nicely, consoles does not really interest a lot of PC players, but it is a huge market so if they do not mess it up like Nascar - it´ll be good - and the current state of LMU actually fits those platforms more than PC players, as we "are used to" so much more, like driverswaps, servers, leagues etc.

Also why do these threads have to bring on the "my game is better than..." warriors. Let people play what they want - obviously LMU is struggeling on player counts. But rf2 did that for years and years, still - with all its flaws - my go to game. That does not mean i have to hate AC, ACC etc

We are a niche within gaming, no need to divide this into more niches :D
 
People have prayed for MSG's downfall for ages but they are still here or better yet most of the bad management is gone and greatly downsized to most to few from MSG and most of S397 team left. Rf2 needs to be in the rearview mirror for S397 to move forward. RF2 as many sim racers know has left a bad taste for many and I say this as a huge RF2 fan. I love the sim but I can't make the majority of the sim racers have this conclusion. S397 has done their best with RF2 with MSG funding which has brought a lot of updates to the sim. Like racing against cars you don't own, ingame shop, the ability to manage mods in the game and so on.

Things they've done in LMU would have been difficult to achieve in RF2 because it would have broken a lot of the code as stated many times by S397. The team aren't obligated to support Rf2 forever and Kunos did the same as the state they left AC in only for the community of modders to save it. AC wouldn't be what it is today without the modder's support.
With the 'very small difference' that Kunos didn't waste money on the license which he then had to resell, money makes the world go round and those who manage it badly end up even worse and if it's always the same people who make certain mistakes it's clear how it will end.
 

Latest News

Article information

Author
Yannik Haustein
Article read time
3 min read
Views
6,308
Comments
66
Last update
Back
Top