Project Motor Racing - formerly known as GTRevival - is switching to a new visual foundation: The upcoming sim by Straight4 Studios will use publisher GIANTS Software's own game engine for its visuals.
Performance is an important part of racing simulations, considering the plethora of different PC configurations used by sim racers - never mind the computing power of consoles, which is usually lower than that of a PC. Initially developed on Unreal Engine 5, Project Motor Racing ditched the well-known engine, as Ian Bell, CEO of developer Straight4 Studios, already announced on Twitter back in May. And for a simple reason: VR.
Virtual reality is enjoying increasing popularity among sim racers, which prompted the U-turn in the middle of development. Now, the Straight4 and its new publisher GIANTS Software (of Farming Simulator fame) announced that Project Motor Racing will use the GIANTS Engine.
The engine has its roots in 2008 and formed the base of what would become Farming Simulator, one of the most popular simulation games on the market. Of course, it has since been developed, and according to their announcement, Straight4 and GIANTS are already "deep into the development phase of tuning the engine for sim racing-specific duty".
Alongside the announcement, Straight4 and GIANTS also shared the first few screenshots of the Lister Storm GT that we saw get scanned on-site at Silverstone in June, including a shot of a very detailed surface on the car's body panels.
Farming Simulator 25, due to be released on November 12, 2024, lists VR support as "N/A" on its Steam page, indicating that the feature will not be part of the initial release. However, if Project Motor Racing sets the precedent for VR in the GIANTS Engine, it might be adapted and added later on.
A quote from Kevin Boland, CDO at Straight4 Studios, in the press release supports this thought: "Competing in the specialized and technically challenging sim racing arena with Project Motor Racing is a testament to the versatility of the GIANTS Engine. We’re sure both Farming Simulator fans and sim racers will come out as winners from this partnership.”
It is important to note that the physics of PMR will fully be handled by Straight4 Studios, so they will not be based on the GIANTS Engine. What it will be used for, however, is its file structure - and that should be excellent news to sim racers, particularly those who value mods. The Farming Simulator titles are very moddable, after all.
Bell seconds the "perfect partner" notion, but focuses more on the advantage the cooperation has for the project itself: "Developing a new generation of sim racing games requires that we solve some hard questions. Foremost is how to align our state-of-the-art physics engine alongside the graphic fidelity that our fans demand from us. In the GIANTS Engine, we have found the solution: a game engine that allows us to build a beautiful simulator while ensuring framerates do not suffer as a result."
Project Motor Racing is being developed both for PC and consoles. Originally, a first playable WIP version of the sim was supposed to be available in late 2023. Straight4 had already shown a gameplay video of a Ferrari 296 GT3 lapping at Interlagos, but with the switch to a different engine, the timeline of the project has been pushed back.
As a result, Project Motor Racing is set to be released in 2025.
What is your opinion of Straight4 moving Project Motor Racing to the GIANTS Engine? Let us know on Twitter @OverTake_gg or in the comments below!
Performance is an important part of racing simulations, considering the plethora of different PC configurations used by sim racers - never mind the computing power of consoles, which is usually lower than that of a PC. Initially developed on Unreal Engine 5, Project Motor Racing ditched the well-known engine, as Ian Bell, CEO of developer Straight4 Studios, already announced on Twitter back in May. And for a simple reason: VR.
Virtual reality is enjoying increasing popularity among sim racers, which prompted the U-turn in the middle of development. Now, the Straight4 and its new publisher GIANTS Software (of Farming Simulator fame) announced that Project Motor Racing will use the GIANTS Engine.
The engine has its roots in 2008 and formed the base of what would become Farming Simulator, one of the most popular simulation games on the market. Of course, it has since been developed, and according to their announcement, Straight4 and GIANTS are already "deep into the development phase of tuning the engine for sim racing-specific duty".
Alongside the announcement, Straight4 and GIANTS also shared the first few screenshots of the Lister Storm GT that we saw get scanned on-site at Silverstone in June, including a shot of a very detailed surface on the car's body panels.
No VR In Farming Simulator Yet
Interestingly, GIANTS' Farming Simulator 22, the latest title of the franchise, does not support VR natively, although there are mods to run the game in VR. We would imagine that with Straight4 switching engines because of VR specifically and the engine being tweaked to support it for Project Motor Racing with GIANTS on board, it should make for a smoother experience than the modded version.Farming Simulator 25, due to be released on November 12, 2024, lists VR support as "N/A" on its Steam page, indicating that the feature will not be part of the initial release. However, if Project Motor Racing sets the precedent for VR in the GIANTS Engine, it might be adapted and added later on.
A quote from Kevin Boland, CDO at Straight4 Studios, in the press release supports this thought: "Competing in the specialized and technically challenging sim racing arena with Project Motor Racing is a testament to the versatility of the GIANTS Engine. We’re sure both Farming Simulator fans and sim racers will come out as winners from this partnership.”
It is important to note that the physics of PMR will fully be handled by Straight4 Studios, so they will not be based on the GIANTS Engine. What it will be used for, however, is its file structure - and that should be excellent news to sim racers, particularly those who value mods. The Farming Simulator titles are very moddable, after all.
Adapting To Sim Racing
After closing the publishing deal,both sides are excited about adapting the engine to sim racing for the first time. GIANTS CSO & Head of Publishing, states: "When we committed to self-publishing Farming Simulator in 2021, we made no secret that we were on the lookout for external titles that slotted into our vision. In Straight4 Studios, we found the ideal candidate: a studio that, like us, want to create world-class simulation, and a new project from a high-profile studio to enrich our publishing portfolio."Bell seconds the "perfect partner" notion, but focuses more on the advantage the cooperation has for the project itself: "Developing a new generation of sim racing games requires that we solve some hard questions. Foremost is how to align our state-of-the-art physics engine alongside the graphic fidelity that our fans demand from us. In the GIANTS Engine, we have found the solution: a game engine that allows us to build a beautiful simulator while ensuring framerates do not suffer as a result."
Project Motor Racing is being developed both for PC and consoles. Originally, a first playable WIP version of the sim was supposed to be available in late 2023. Straight4 had already shown a gameplay video of a Ferrari 296 GT3 lapping at Interlagos, but with the switch to a different engine, the timeline of the project has been pushed back.
As a result, Project Motor Racing is set to be released in 2025.
Project Motor Racing Website Goes Live
Meanwhile, the Project Motor Racing website has gone live, including a media section with additional screenshots and a link to the title's official forum to interact with the developers. Alternatively, you can discuss everything about Project Motor Racing in a dedicated sub-forum right here on OverTake.gg.What is your opinion of Straight4 moving Project Motor Racing to the GIANTS Engine? Let us know on Twitter @OverTake_gg or in the comments below!
