Endor AG

Last updated
Endor AG
Company type Public (AG)
ISIN DE0005491666
Industry Electronics
FoundedOctober 1997
FounderThomas Jackermeier
HeadquartersE.ON-Allee 3,
Landshut
,
Germany
Key people
Matthias Kosch (CFO)
Products Sim racing game peripherals
BrandsFanatec
Revenue€81.3 million (2021)
OwnerThomas Jackermeier's family (50%)
Number of employees
>165 (2021)
Website endor.ag?lang=en
fanatec.com

Endor AG is a German electronics company founded in 1997 headquartered in Landshut, Bavaria. The company manufactures and markets the sim racing game peripherals mainly under the Fanatec brand which are compatible across racing games.

Contents

History

Endor AG was established in October 1997 by German businessman Thomas Jackermeier. As an active player of early PC games, he very quickly recognised the decisive role that input devices would play on performance, reality, and fun. During the 1990s, Jackermeier argued that the stock of the high quality sim racing devices was limited, so he decided to give up his wholesale biking store which was used to finance his educational degree during his time at the University of Regensburg while obtaining his Masters of Business Administration. Following this, he bought AB-Union which later renamed to Endor Ltd. and later the current Endor AG legal name, as well as the establishment of Fanatec, the company's flagship brand.

In the beginning, Endor sold a variety of PC peripherals, such as the Game Commander/Alpha Twin joystick and the licensed trackball for the Command & Conquer franchise. Following the successful release of Le Mans wheel for PC, Endor began to develop the first officially licensed wheel for the PlayStation system, called Speedster 2. It was marketed directly by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) and gained the major success. Endor later continued the relationship with SCEE with the development of the Speedster 3 wheel and the °G game controllers.

On June 27, 2006, Endor went public and traded over-the-counter on the Munich Stock Exchange, the Stuttgart Stock Exchange and the Hamburg Stock Exchange, while also restructured its corporate organization. [1]

On March 28, 2024, Endor's board dismissed CEO Thomas Jackermeier, effective at the end of March 30 "fulfilling a key condition set by the lending banks for the extension of the standstill agreement" according to their notice. [2]

Products

Endor, through the Fanatec brand, manufactures and markets the sim racing game peripherals, such as racing wheels, shifters, pedals and cockpits, even under license from several automakers, such as BMW, McLaren and Porsche. All of products are applicable for most racing games, including the official licensed games based on the World Rally Championship, Formula 1, NASCAR and more.

Sponsorships

Fanatec has since involved in the real-world motorsport competitions in addition of its long-time existence in the virtual racing industry. In July 2018, Fanatec became the official partner for the Formula 1, which sponsored the F1 Esports Series and supplied its gaming peripherals. [3]

In January 2021, the SRO Motorsports Group has named Fanatec as the title sponsor for the GT World Challenge, having previously being the official partner for SRO E-Sports GT Series in 2020. [4]

On May 18, 2023, Polyphony Digital, the developer of the Gran Turismo game series, partnered with Fanatec as the official steering wheel supplier for the 2023 Gran Turismo World Series along with the brand's appearance in the Brand Central which featured in Gran Turismo 7 . Additionally, Fanatec also became the personal sponsor for 2018 FIA-Gran Turismo World Series Nations Cup champion Igor Fraga to give the support for his career in the 2023 Super Formula Lights series. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fuji Speedway</span> Motorsport track in Japan

Fuji Speedway is a motorsport race track standing in the foothills of Mount Fuji, in Oyama, Suntō District, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. It was built in the early 1960s. In the 1980s, Fuji Speedway was used for the FIA World Sportscar Championship and national racing. Originally managed by Mitsubishi Estate Co., Fuji Speedway was acquired by Toyota Motor Corporation in 2000. The circuit hosted the Formula One Japanese Grand Prix in 2007 after an absence of nearly 30 years, replacing the Suzuka Circuit owned by Honda. After Fuji Speedway hosted the 2008 race, the Japanese Grand Prix returned to Suzuka for races from 2009 onward. The Super GT Fuji 500 km race is held at the racetrack on Golden Week.

<i>Gran Turismo</i> (series) Series of racing video games

Gran Turismo (GT) is a series of racing simulation video games developed by Polyphony Digital. Released on PlayStation systems, Gran Turismo games are intended to emulate the appearance and performance of a large selection of vehicles, most of which are licensed reproductions of real-world automobiles. Since the franchise's debut in 1997, over 90 million units have been sold worldwide, making it the best selling video game franchise under the PlayStation brand. An adapted film based on the series and Jann Mardenborough's career was released in August 2023 and directed by Neill Blomkamp.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sim racing</span> Video game genre

Simulated racing or racing simulation, commonly known as simply sim racing, are the collective terms for racing game software that attempts to accurately simulate auto racing, complete with real-world variables such as fuel usage, damage, tire wear and grip, and suspension settings. To be competitive in sim racing, a driver must understand all aspects of car handling that make real-world racing so difficult, such as threshold braking, how to maintain control of a car as the tires lose traction, and how properly to enter and exit a turn without sacrificing speed. It is this level of difficulty that distinguishes sim racing from arcade racing-style driving games where real-world variables are taken out of the equation and the principal objective is to create a sense of speed as opposed to a sense of realism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Twin Ring Motegi</span> Racing circuit in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan

Mobility Resort Motegi (モビリティリゾートもてぎ) is a motorsport venue located in Motegi, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. Originally Twin Ring Motegi (ツインリンクもてぎ), the venue's name came from the facility having two race tracks: a 2.493 km (1.549 mi) oval track and a 4.801 km (2.983 mi) road course. It was built in 1997 by Honda Motor Co., Ltd., as part of the company's effort to bring the Championship Auto Racing Teams series to Japan, helping to increase their knowledge of American open-wheel racing. The oval was last raced on in 2010 by the Indycar Series. On 1 March 2022, the name of the track was changed to Mobility Resort Motegi, coinciding with the 25th anniversary of the facility. The road course's most notable event is the Japanese motorcycle Grand Prix.

A number of video games have been made of Le Mans 24 Hours. The race, the Circuit de la Sarthe, and competing cars have been featured in racing games such as the Gran Turismo series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British GT Championship</span> Sports car racing series based predominantly in the United Kingdom

The British GT Championship is a sports car racing series based predominantly in the United Kingdom. The series was originally created by the British Racing Drivers' Club in 1993 and, for its first two seasons, was known as the National Sports GT Challenge. The series is currently run by the Stéphane Ratel Organisation. From 2023 where dubbed as GT World Challenge Great Britain, while Pirelli began its first season as the championship's official sole tyre supplier in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SRO Motorsports Group</span> International sporting organisation

SRO Motorsports Group is an international sporting organisation best known for promoting and running a variety of racing events and series, including the Total 24 Hours of Spa, Intercontinental GT Challenge and Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe.

The Gran Turismo official steering wheels are a series of racing wheels designed by Logitech in collaboration with Polyphony Digital. These racing games controllers are designed to be used with the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3 systems but later models can be used on PC as well due to their USB connection. The GT Force is the central part of a driving simulation cockpit installation. Official kits are co-designed and released in Japan by Logicool and Sparco, while compatible kits are designed and released worldwide by European manufacturers such as Playseat® and MoveTech.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Logitech Driving Force GT</span> Racing wheel peripheral

The Logitech Driving Force GT is a racing wheel peripheral designed for racing games on the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, and Microsoft Windows and Linux PCs. It is manufactured and distributed by Logitech International S.A of Romanel-sur-Morges, Switzerland. The wheel was released on December 13, 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sim racing wheel</span> Video game controller

A sim racing wheel is a control device for use in racing games, racing simulators, and driving simulators. They are usually packaged with a large paddle styled as a steering wheel, along with a set of pedals for the accelerator, brake, and clutch, as well as transmission controls. An analog wheel and pedal set such as this allows the user to accurately manipulate steering angle and pedal control that is required to properly manage a simulated car, as opposed to digital control such as a keyboard. The relatively large range of motion further allows the user to more accurately apply the controls. Racing wheels have been developed for use with arcade games, game consoles, personal computers, and also for professional driving simulators for race drivers.

The GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup, officially known as Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS for sponsorship reasons, formerly the FIA GT Series, is a sports car racing series organized by the Stéphane Ratel Organisation (SRO) with the approval of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). It was sponsored by Blancpain from 2014 to 2019, when it was variously branded as the Blancpain Sprint Series in 2014 and 2015, the Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup in 2016 to 2018, and the Blancpain GT World Challenge Europe in 2019. In 2020, AWS was named 'Official Presenter' and the series was branded as "GT World Challenge Powered by AWS". Fanatec later joined as title sponsor in 2021, giving the series its current name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jimmy Broadbent</span> British racing driver and YouTuber

James Alan Broadbent is an English social media personality, commentator, and racing driver. He has over 900,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel, with content related to gaming, sim racing, and real life racing. Broadbent most recently competed in the 2022 Praga Cup, in which he won the team's and driver's championships in with his entry Team87 and teammate Gordie Mutch. He also commentates for the Gran Turismo World Series esports tournament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jann Mardenborough</span> British racing driver (born 1991)

Jann Mardenborough is a British professional racing driver. In 2011 he became the third and youngest winner of the GT Academy competition, beating 90,000 entrants to earn a professional racing contract with Nissan. He had no previous motorsport experience, having played sim racing video games instead. During his career, he has finished on the podium in his class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, won races and contended for titles in GT3 and junior formula cars, and competed at the highest level in Super GT, Super Formula and the FIA World Endurance Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GT Academy</span> Television programme

GT Academy was a television programme produced by Grand Central Entertainment and funded by Nissan and Sony Interactive Entertainment from 2008 to 2016. GT Academy provided skilled Gran Turismo players an opportunity to earn a real-life professional racing career with Nissan.

The Gran Turismo World Series is a series of professional Gran Turismo world championship esports tournaments, managed directly by Japanese game development studio Polyphony Digital. The championship contains two series that are held concurrently throughout the year: the Nations Cup and the Manufacturers Cup. The series uses Polyphony Digital's latest racing video game Gran Turismo 7.

The 2022 Fanatec GT World Challenge Asia Powered by AWS is the fourth season of SRO Motorsports Group and Team Asia One GT Management's GT World Challenge Asia, an auto racing series for grand tourer cars in Asia. The races are contested with GT3-spec and GT4-spec cars. The season was begun on 20 May at Sepang in Malaysia and was scheduled to end on 23 October at the new Mandalika Circuit in Indonesia, however the round was cancelled due to homologation issues, therefore the championship finished at the Okayama International Circuit in Japan. It is the second season of the unification of GT3 sprint series across the globe under the World Challenge name and the first since Blancpain ended its title sponsorship of the series.

The 2023 Fanatec GT World Challenge Asia Powered by AWS will be the fifth season of SRO Motorsports Group and Team Asia One GT Management's GT World Challenge Asia, an auto racing series for grand tourer cars in Asia. The races will be contested with GT3-spec and GT4-spec cars with hopes of GT2-spec entries. The season will begin on 13 May at the Chang International Circuit in Thailand and is scheduled to end on 24 September at Sepang in Malaysia.

The 2023 Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup was the eleventh season of the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup following on from the demise of the SRO Motorsports Group's FIA GT1 World Championship, the third with the sponsorship of Fanatec.

The 2024 Fanatec GT World Challenge Asia Powered by AWS will be the fifth season of SRO Motorsports Group and Team Asia One GT Management's GT World Challenge Asia, an auto racing series for grand tourer cars in Asia. The races will be contested with GT3-spec and GT4-spec cars with hopes of GT2-spec entries. The season will begin on 20 April at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia and is scheduled to end on 15 September at Shanghai International Circuit in China.

The 2024 Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup is the twelfth season of the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup following on from the demise of the SRO Motorsports Group's FIA GT1 World Championship, the fourth with the sponsorship of Fanatec.

References

  1. ↑ "Stuttgart Stock Exchange (STU)". Investopedia. Retrieved 2023-08-28.
  2. ↑ "Endor AG: Dismissal of CEO Thomas Jackermeier". Endor. Retrieved 2024-03-30.
  3. ↑ "Fanatec becomes F1 Official Supplier and Official Sponsor of Esports Series". Formula One World Championship Limited. July 3, 2018. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
  4. ↑ "Fanatec named title sponsor of GT World Challenge Powered by AWS and GT2 European Series". SRO Motorsports Group. January 22, 2021. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
  5. ↑ "Fanatec Named as the Official Steering Wheel Partner of the Gran Turismo World Series". May 18, 2023. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.