This marks a new start for the WRC franchise yet again.
Nacon has revealed that they have picked up the WRC rally racing video game franchise.
As we reported at the start of May, Codemasters revealed that they officially ended support for EA Sports WRC, marking the end of their and EA’s involvement with the WRC franchise. At the time, it did raise questions about Codemasters’ future. True enough, we learned a few days later that Codemasters had layoffs. Some Codemasters employees were also transferred to other EA studios.
Codemasters still has the F1 franchise, and they’re still game enough that they’re considering bringing their game to the Switch 2. But we didn’t know if the WRC video game franchise itself had a future, until now.
Nacon made this announcement via press release:
WRC Promoter has confirmed that the publishing of games based on the FIA World Rally Championship will return to French publisher NACON.
The agreement covers the development and publishing of the official WRC games and eSports competitions, granting NACON exclusive rights for PC and consoles for six seasons, from 2027 through 2032.
As part of this strategic partnership, NACON will begin development of an all-new WRC game series, aiming to deliver an immersive experience that faithfully reflects the reality of the championship and meets the expectations of both rally enthusiasts and new players.
The games will feature the official rallies, vehicles, teams, drivers, and sponsors among the many anticipated content elements. This project represents a complete reboot of the franchise, based on an entirely fresh vision, and marks an ambitious new chapter in the brand’s development.
Before EA Sports WRC, Kylotonn had been making the last seven WRC games from 2015 to 2022. This also makes them the longest-lasting developer of the franchise. Last year, Kylotonn released Test Drive Unlimited: Solar Crown, seemingly to compensate for losing the license.
Based on Nacon’s statement, the new WRC may not necessarily be returning to Kylotonn. The studio is known for producing a particular flavor of rally racing video game, but their games have historically received mixed to average ratings and were not particularly well regarded.
Fans who remember the Colin McRae Rally series were probably hoping that Codemasters would restore the franchise to its old glories. It seems that EA Sports WRC was not successful enough for EA to justify holding onto the franchise.
This deal also seems to be freshly inked, so we should probably have to wait for Nacon’s next update to find out WRC’s future. This will mark the longest wait between titles since 2005’s WRC Rally Evolved and 2010’s WRC FIA World Rally Championship. Hopefully, Nacon can give us a pleasant surprise in 2027.
