After six months of close competition across some of the world's greatest circuits, it is time to look at how Le Mans Ultimate has been doing - it has not all been smooth sailing, however.
Le Mans Ultimate was first released back in February of this year to mixed reviews and a sceptical potential fan base. Instead of a full release, publisher Motorsport Games and developer Studio 397 instead opted for the Early Access route on short notice. When LMU was released, it was unfinished with stability issues and a lack of up-to-date game modes and content. However, Le Mans Ultimate was dragged up by its spectacular driving physics at the same time, the most important aspect of any sim racing title.
LMP2's three-wide, Le Mans.
Upon release, Le Mans Ultimate split the sim racing community seemingly down the middle. One half appreciated it for what it was, namely a full grid of 2023 WEC cars including proper hybrid systems for the Hypercars, and the other half trashed it because of the lack of 2024 content, game modes, and functionality. Never mind the general skepticism towards Motorsport Games by many.
Over the last six months of development, Le Mans Ultimate has come a long way, though. It is not perfect, but what have the team behind the title got right and wrong, and what is needed in the future?
The first paid DLC came in the form of the debut of Imola, the updated Peugeot 9X8 and the Lamborghini SC63. It was received well upon release, with people praising the content and its quality, however, the action of paying for content in a game that is not fully released yet still stained the release for a lot of sim racers. MSG's CEO Stephen Hood had been up front about this, mentioning a need to balance the books.
Lamborghini SC63, Imola.
Overall, the inclusion of paid DLC was expected, but maybe not this much this quickly. Multiple other avenues need attention within the core game like more game modes, major stability fixes, driver swaps and the big one; a full release of the game before porting it for console players. Before a full release, these core issues need to be attended to.
Despite the paid DLC dramas, there has been a widely appreciated free DLC added to the Le Mans Ultimate DLC store: The BMW M Hybrid V8 Hypercar, also included is the Le Mans art livery, was actually the first bit of new content. The car is competently competitive in the sim and adds a crucial competitor to the grid for everyone to enjoy. More free DLC is planned, so even players who do not buy any of the 2024 DLC can still race select 2024 cars.
The Ferrari 488 was by far and away the most dominant car in the GTE field in the first four months of the game's life. From April until August, that has not changed. The Bronze-rated online races, the most populated series within Le Mans Ultimate, are littered with Ferraris and sometimes, not much else.
Ferrari 488 GTE, Monza
With the addition of the 2024 LM GT3 field at some point in the future, the meta will completely change again with an entire roster of new cars, so what does this mean for the current cars BOP? Have the developers put to rest the idea of trying to balance the GTE field? Or is there another reason? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
The main problem was the stability of the online servers. When Le Mans Ultimate was first released, there was a lot of hype around it and player numbers were sky-high. This number unfortunately would dwindle quite considerably after the network issues started to plague the large majority of servers.
LMP2 and GTE's, Spa
Since February, the servers have gotten more and more consistent with the level of demand on them stabilising. What's more, the amount of server crashes and random disconnects has been sorted out to a level where it is certainly playable and enjoyable for long sessions across multiple servers.
The competition system's combination repetitiveness has also been a sticking point for the title since its release, especially within the bronze category of racing. The combinations are severely limited due to the content available in LMU - which is not really avoidable when portraying a single series. This also means that just seven circuits are available to players if you discount Imola as paid DLC.
What is the solution? Variety in session variables and opening up race lengths, fuel and tyre usage multipliers and eventually, adding the other missing circuits in, those being Interlagos, Lusail and COTA. Some special events and series have already played around with fuel and tyre variables in recent months, so LMU is headed in the right direction in this regard. The tracks are set to join the sim in the coming months.
Hypercars attacking Radillion, Spa
Overall, the competition system has been cleaned up a lot since Le Mans Ultimate was released back in February, but much like the rest of the game; it is not perfect. There is missing modes (private sessions are not a thing, so no leagues are possible yet), and a repetitive nature to the returning player. Despite these downsides, the online competition system hosts some brilliant racing and brings together the best of the best for the anticipated special events. The ranking system included in the online mode is also helpful with this.
Lamborghini and Peugeot 9X8, Imola
So with the console version on the team's radar, when can we expect to see a release? Well, it might be a bit of a wait. Le Mans Ultimate will most likely not come to consoles until it is fully released and ready to proverbially ship to the masses.
The addition of the 2024 content is not due to be finished until the very end of 2024 and the start of 2025. If we were to predict, the first anniversary of Le Mans Ultimate's release in February 2025 would be the first realistic opportunity for a console version to even be considered for an official announcement.
What do you think about the development of Le Mans Ultimate in its first six months? Let us know on X @OverTake_gg or down in the comments below!
Le Mans Ultimate was first released back in February of this year to mixed reviews and a sceptical potential fan base. Instead of a full release, publisher Motorsport Games and developer Studio 397 instead opted for the Early Access route on short notice. When LMU was released, it was unfinished with stability issues and a lack of up-to-date game modes and content. However, Le Mans Ultimate was dragged up by its spectacular driving physics at the same time, the most important aspect of any sim racing title.
LMP2's three-wide, Le Mans.
Upon release, Le Mans Ultimate split the sim racing community seemingly down the middle. One half appreciated it for what it was, namely a full grid of 2023 WEC cars including proper hybrid systems for the Hypercars, and the other half trashed it because of the lack of 2024 content, game modes, and functionality. Never mind the general skepticism towards Motorsport Games by many.
Over the last six months of development, Le Mans Ultimate has come a long way, though. It is not perfect, but what have the team behind the title got right and wrong, and what is needed in the future?
The Addition Of DLC
Another controversial topic that hit the world of Le Mans Ultimate fairly recently was the addition of multiple DLC packs despite the title still being in early access. The community was again seemingly split down the middle with some not bothered about paying for more, and others outraged that MSG and Studio 397 added DLC before releasing the game in its entirety.The first paid DLC came in the form of the debut of Imola, the updated Peugeot 9X8 and the Lamborghini SC63. It was received well upon release, with people praising the content and its quality, however, the action of paying for content in a game that is not fully released yet still stained the release for a lot of sim racers. MSG's CEO Stephen Hood had been up front about this, mentioning a need to balance the books.
Lamborghini SC63, Imola.
Overall, the inclusion of paid DLC was expected, but maybe not this much this quickly. Multiple other avenues need attention within the core game like more game modes, major stability fixes, driver swaps and the big one; a full release of the game before porting it for console players. Before a full release, these core issues need to be attended to.
Despite the paid DLC dramas, there has been a widely appreciated free DLC added to the Le Mans Ultimate DLC store: The BMW M Hybrid V8 Hypercar, also included is the Le Mans art livery, was actually the first bit of new content. The car is competently competitive in the sim and adds a crucial competitor to the grid for everyone to enjoy. More free DLC is planned, so even players who do not buy any of the 2024 DLC can still race select 2024 cars.
Balance Of Performance Issues
In an article from April of this year, we delved into the issues that Le Mans Ultimate has to fix for it to be successful, especially with the DLC being added in before game modes and crucial bug fixes. One of these issues we covered was the Balance of Performance bias or BOP.The Ferrari 488 was by far and away the most dominant car in the GTE field in the first four months of the game's life. From April until August, that has not changed. The Bronze-rated online races, the most populated series within Le Mans Ultimate, are littered with Ferraris and sometimes, not much else.
Ferrari 488 GTE, Monza
With the addition of the 2024 LM GT3 field at some point in the future, the meta will completely change again with an entire roster of new cars, so what does this mean for the current cars BOP? Have the developers put to rest the idea of trying to balance the GTE field? Or is there another reason? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
Online Competition System Revitalised
Le Mans Ultimate's online competition system is the crowning jewel in the game's crown. The online system originally debuted in the predecessor to Le Mans Ultimate, rFactor 2. Despite the weeks of fine-tuning within the classic sim racing title, when the mode debuted for its first few weeks in Le Mans Ultimate there were a plethora of issues.The main problem was the stability of the online servers. When Le Mans Ultimate was first released, there was a lot of hype around it and player numbers were sky-high. This number unfortunately would dwindle quite considerably after the network issues started to plague the large majority of servers.
LMP2 and GTE's, Spa
Since February, the servers have gotten more and more consistent with the level of demand on them stabilising. What's more, the amount of server crashes and random disconnects has been sorted out to a level where it is certainly playable and enjoyable for long sessions across multiple servers.
The competition system's combination repetitiveness has also been a sticking point for the title since its release, especially within the bronze category of racing. The combinations are severely limited due to the content available in LMU - which is not really avoidable when portraying a single series. This also means that just seven circuits are available to players if you discount Imola as paid DLC.
What is the solution? Variety in session variables and opening up race lengths, fuel and tyre usage multipliers and eventually, adding the other missing circuits in, those being Interlagos, Lusail and COTA. Some special events and series have already played around with fuel and tyre variables in recent months, so LMU is headed in the right direction in this regard. The tracks are set to join the sim in the coming months.
Hypercars attacking Radillion, Spa
Overall, the competition system has been cleaned up a lot since Le Mans Ultimate was released back in February, but much like the rest of the game; it is not perfect. There is missing modes (private sessions are not a thing, so no leagues are possible yet), and a repetitive nature to the returning player. Despite these downsides, the online competition system hosts some brilliant racing and brings together the best of the best for the anticipated special events. The ranking system included in the online mode is also helpful with this.
Le Mans Ultimate's Console Release
Console versions of Le Mans Ultimate have been on the cards since the title release back in February, but finally, the actuality of a console version is starting to materialise. In its Q2 Financial Report, Motorsport Games does let onto the fact that the prospect of Le Mans Ultimate on Xbox and PlayStation is a genuine reality in the not-too-distant future.Lamborghini and Peugeot 9X8, Imola
So with the console version on the team's radar, when can we expect to see a release? Well, it might be a bit of a wait. Le Mans Ultimate will most likely not come to consoles until it is fully released and ready to proverbially ship to the masses.
The addition of the 2024 content is not due to be finished until the very end of 2024 and the start of 2025. If we were to predict, the first anniversary of Le Mans Ultimate's release in February 2025 would be the first realistic opportunity for a console version to even be considered for an official announcement.
What do you think about the development of Le Mans Ultimate in its first six months? Let us know on X @OverTake_gg or down in the comments below!
