Lead a virtual racing team, in excruciating detail, with Motorsport Manager
Mobile game Motorsport Manager is coming to desktops in September, letting you control every aspect of a racing team, from car development to hiring drivers to trolling for sponsors.
For those who favor the corner office, and control over cubicle flunkies, Motorsport Manager is the racing game for you. Rather than get your hands dirty gripping a steering wheel or game controller, Motorsport Manager lets you hire drivers, mechanics and engineers to take your virtual racing team to victory.
Motorsport Manager has existed as a mobile game since 2014, playable on Android or iOS devices, but developer Playsport Games and Sega are taking the game to the desktop, adding enhanced graphics and features.
Using F1 Constructors-style cars, Motorsport Manager creates a detailed world of tracks and teams. Although they don't exist in the real world, the game developers admit influences from actual drivers, teams and tracks.
Gameplay consists of choosing a team, then making sure your drivers, crews and cars are ready for race day. The extreme detail replicates challenges in the real world, making you accountable to a chairman. Pick a well-funded team with high expectations, but fail to win races, and you might get fired. From a video game. That may be too close to reality for some.
The immense level of detail in Motorsport Manager goes to issues such as your drivers' moods and marketability for sponsorships.
During the virtual racing season in Motorsport Manager, you can hire and fire drivers and crew. Some drivers are better than others, of course, and some also work better with specific crew members. Kind of like in the Sims game series, your drivers also have moods, which you can affect by changing their cars or giving commands. A happy driver will win more races than a frustrated driver.
The game even goes to the extreme of letting you take on sponsors to fund your team. Some drivers are also more marketable than others, independent of their actual driving ability, and can help you gain funding. Yep, checking all sorts of real world boxes here.
For the actual races, you will watch your drivers compete on the track, and influence their performance by choosing tires and how aggressive they are behind the wheel. As their tires wear down and fuel cells run out, you will need to make a decision as to when they should make a pit stop. Dynamic weather in the game also plays a part.
The artificial intelligence action of the racers in Motorsport Manager looked very impressive during an early demonstration.
Sega will release Motorsport Manager on Steam for PC, Mac and Linux in September. Pricing has not yet been announced.