iRacing announced today that it had acquired the NASCAR Team Properties' exclusive simulation-style console racing game license, with its first project based on the newly acquired property slated to release in a couple of years.
In a press release, iRacing announced that the license will transfer from Motorsport Games Inc. to iRacing once the NASCAR Team Properties approves the sale. The latter will then begin development on the next NASCAR game, with a 2025 release window currently set. iRacing will serve as the game's publisher, but no developer has been named as of yet.
"When we were approached with the option to acquire the license for the simulation-style NASCAR console game, which was the console game and franchise that we were dreaming about doing, it was an opportunity we couldn't pass up," iRacing President Tony Gardner said in a press release. "Having the ability to build a NASCAR console game is a privilege we promise to execute with the utmost care. We look forward to working diligently with NASCAR industry stakeholders to deliver a product that provides an amazing experience for the gaming community and NASCAR fans worldwide."
Prior to iRacing securing the license, the last simulation-style game to use the NASCAR brand was 2021's NASCAR 21: Ignition. The most recent NASCAR-branded game but was not a simulation-style racing game belongs to NASCAR Arcade Rush, which was developed by Team 6 Games Studios and released last month on PC, Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch.
Before that, 704Games (previously known as Dusenberry Martin Racing) had a longstanding relationship with NASCAR, a partnership that began with 2015's NASCAR 15. In the eight years 704Games held the rights, it produced seven games — six were released on console and PC, and one was released exclusively on mobile devices. The rights would then be given to Motorsport Games after the company acquired 704Games in 2018.
Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.
