Following a brief absence, NACON will once again be the exclusive videogame publisher for the FIA World Rally Championship. NACON released WRC games from 2015 to 2023, when EA obtained the license and developed its DiRT Rally games and EA Sports WRC through Codemasters. However, recently it was announced that Codemasters, which is well-known for its racing games as well, and was purchased by EA in 2021 was a part of that publisher’s restructuring and having to cut staff would no longer be working on its rally-based games. On a side note, one of Codemasters’ other popular racing franchises launches this week with the arrival of F1 25.
NACON will retake the wheel with WRC for six seasons beginning in 2027 and lasting through 2032. It is suspected that its previous development team at KT Racing will handle the duties of making the next series of games. The WRC series promoter has stated that NACON will be responsible for a complete reboot of the franchise featuring official teams, drivers, vehicles, and rallies.
Per official Press Release:
“Between 2015 and 2023, we had the opportunity to work closely with the championship’s official teams and many drivers, allowing us to gain solid and unique expertise in translating rallying into a video game experience. This new venture marks a major
Alain Falc – CEO NACON
milestone: a fully reimagined project driven by a passionate and specialized team, with a clear
ambition to elevate rally games to new heights.”
NACON’s most recent big video game hit was last year with RoboCop: Rogue City, which it is hoping to see lightning strike twice with the upcoming sequel, RoboCop: Rogue City – Unfinished Business. Meanwhile, it launched Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown, which has had a mixed reception from longtime franchise fans. On other fronts, NACON is also known for making PC/console peripherals, which include headsets and controllers, and could likely release limited editions of these featuring WRC themes once the license goes into effect.