Project Motor Racing

Last updated

Project Motor Racing
Developer Straight4 Studios
Publisher GIANTS Software
Director William Ian Bell
Designers Doug Arnao [1]
Austin Ogonoski [2]
Composer Stephen Baysted
Engine GIANTS Engine 10
Platforms
Release25 November 2025
Genre Sim racing
Modes Single-player, multiplayer

Project Motor Racing is a 2025 sim racing video game developed by Straight4 Studios and published by GIANTS Software. It is the latest game developed under the supervision of game designer William Ian Bell, who previously led the creation of the Project CARS series under his previous company, Slightly Mad Studios. [3] The game officially released on 25 November 2025. [4]

Contents

Gameplay

Project Motor Racing features a detailed driver career mode for its single-player campaign, [5] giving players the option to start with a budget ranging from an amateur beginning in low-cost race cars to a professional driver with immediate access to high-end sports cars, with a fourth option catering to historic motorsport. Players also work with a sponsorship model, and may be punished or rewarded depending on the player's performance on track. Depending on the region of the in-game championship the player chooses to participate in, the standard payout per race may also be different in every car class. [6]

In both single-player and multiplayer, players can race up to 31 AI opponents. Console versions, however, are limited to 15 AI opponents in single-player, prioritizing stable, high-quality play at 1440p and 60 fps. [7]

Development

William Ian Bell, former CEO of Slightly Mad Studios, announced in 2022 that a new game under his supervision was in development under the name GTR Revival, a nod to GTR and GTR 2, which were games that Bell was involved in developing as part of SimBin. According to Bell, much of the new team working on the game included previous staff from SimBin and Slightly Mad Studios that worked on the GTR and Project CARS series. [8] [9] The game would also be developed with "zero publisher input". [10] It was later renamed GT Revival, and again as Project Motor Racing in 2024. [11] The game uses Straight4 Studios' Hadron proprietary physics engine, which runs alongside GIANTS Engine 10, the engine used on the Farming Simulator series. [12] [13]

During development, Straight4 Studios introduced a 'Factory Driver Program', an invite-only beta test that was limited to experienced sim racers and professional racing drivers, in which the developers used as a resource to gain development feedback. [14] In addition to the beta test, they also acquired professional racing driver and former The Stig on Top Gear, Ben Collins, as a consultant. [15] Stephen Baysted was also acquired as a composer for the game. [16] Collins and Baysted were previously involved in the Project CARS series. [17] [18]

Reception

Project Motor Racing received "mixed" reviews from critics, according to review aggregator website Metacritic, with users finding the game "generally unfavorable". [19] [20]

Writing for IGN , Luke Reilly described the game as "an early access game that hasn’t actually been identified as such." Reilly felt many aspects of the game were unfinished, including the AI, penalty system, career mode, and graphical fidelity, describing the overall racing experience as "frustratingly close to being entirely decent". While he credited the game's strict focus towards racing cars, Reilly was equally critical of the cars' inconsistencies with regards to vehicle physics across different cars, ranging from "compliant" to "undriveable". [22]

Community response to Project Motor Racing was highly critical upon release, with criticism focused on the game's handling, force feedback, and performance optimization issues. On Steam, the game received "very negative" reviews from players. [23] Straight4 Studios released a statement shortly after release, acknowledging the game's issues, while also promising a road map for future updates to the game. [24]

References

  1. Bigg, Martin (5 December 2023). "First GTRevival Gameplay Footage Revealed". RacingGames. Retrieved 29 November 2025.
  2. Bartholomew, Mike (14 July 2025). "'Our Team Lives And Breathes Motorsport', Says Project Motor Racing COO". CarThrottle. Retrieved 29 November 2025.
  3. Hegevall, Petter (29 September 2025). "We talk to Ian Bell about Project Motor Racing". Gamereactor UK. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
  4. "New simulation Project Motor Racing launches on PC, consoles". ESPN. 25 November 2025. Retrieved 26 November 2025.
  5. Iwaniuk, Phil (24 June 2025). ""Motorsport with consequences": Project Motor Racing arrives 25 Nov". Top Gear. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
  6. "YOUR MOTORSPORT CAREER IN PROJECT MOTOR RACING". Project Motor Racing Official. 24 June 2025. Retrieved 25 November 2025.
  7. Bigg, Martin (24 November 2025). "Project Motor Racing limits offline AI opponent numbers on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S". Traxion.GG. Retrieved 25 November 2025.
  8. Bigg, Martin (22 September 2022). "GTR Revival is the long-awaited successor to GTR2". RacingGames. Retrieved 25 November 2025.
  9. Miche, Hunter (25 May 2023). "Straight4 CEO Talks About Their Next-Gen Racing Simulator". SegmentNext. Retrieved 30 November 2025.
  10. Beckwith, Michael (9 November 2022). "Slightly Mad founder is very mad at EA for killing Project CARS". Metro. Retrieved 25 November 2025.
  11. Harrison-Lord, Thomas (16 July 2024). "GTRevival renamed Project Motor Racing in GIANTS Software publishing deal". Traxion.GG. Retrieved 4 November 2025.
  12. Harrison-Lord, Thomas (17 August 2025). "Why Project Motor Racing's dynamics aren't, and can't be, related to Project CARS". Traxion.GG. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
  13. Rahming, A. K. (20 August 2024). "Farming Simulator GIANTS Engine powering Project Motor Racing". GameScout. Retrieved 29 November 2025.
  14. Hegevall, Petter (26 September 2025). "Project Motor Racing's Factory Driver Programme signs legendary driver Tetsuya Yamano". Gamereactor UK. Retrieved 25 November 2025.
  15. Hegevall, Petter (6 June 2023). "The Stig Talks Simulator Realism". www.gamereactor.eu. Retrieved 28 November 2025.
  16. "Stephen Baysted: Audio Director on Project Motor Racing". Project Motor Racing Official. 22 July 2024. Retrieved 28 November 2025.
  17. "FORMER STIG BEN COLLINS IMPRESSED WITH PROJECT CARS". WMD Portal. 1 November 2011. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
  18. Remington, Kate (17 October 2017). "Music Respawn! Stephen Baysted Revs Into High Gear For Project Cars 2!". WSHU. Retrieved 28 November 2025.
  19. 1 2 "Project Motor Racing critic reviews (PC)". www.metacritic.com. Retrieved 28 November 2025.
  20. 1 2 "Project Motor Racing critic reviews (PS5)". www.metacritic.com. Retrieved 28 November 2025.
  21. "Project Motor Racing Reviews". OpenCritic. Retrieved 28 November 2025.
  22. 1 2 Reilly, Luke (28 November 2025). "Project Motor Racing Review". IGN. Retrieved 28 November 2025.
  23. Noah, Steve (26 November 2025). "Project Motor Racing Launches to Criticism as Developers Outline Fixes". Operation Sports. Retrieved 26 November 2025.
  24. Freeman, Glenn (26 November 2025). "'Falls hopelessly short' - Project Motor Racing's troubled start". The Race. Retrieved 28 November 2025.