SBK 08 - Superbike World Championship

Gamespot.com have visited Milestone to try out SBK 08 Superbike World Championship and to see how it has been improved over last years version.

Last year's official SBK game was a successful outing for developer Milestone, and a game that managed to cater to both the simulation and arcade markets. This year's title makes the jump to the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on June 1, and we got our hands on a preview copy for the latter format. The racer provides customisation options, allowing for varying levels of realism and difficulty between arcade and simulation play. It will also include 12 real-life tracks including the well-known Phillip Island, Valencia, Monza, Donington, and Magny-Cours.

Read the full preview over at Gamespot.com

Inside Sim Racing Episode 14

In this weeks episode Jesse talks about iRacing going beta, VWTCC and Formula Sim Racing World Championship round 4 results.. Also.. She takes Miniville for rFactor for a spin..

Press Release: Codemasters and Formula One

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. - May 9, 2008 - Codemasters®, developer and publisher of award-winning racing video games, has secured the exclusive video game rights to FORMULA 1. In a worldwide licensing agreement with Formula One Administration Limited, Codemasters will develop a new generation of the multi-million selling FORMULA 1 game franchise across multiple platforms.

Codemasters Studios, creators of genre-leading racing titles DiRT™ and GRID™, will lead the design and development of official FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP games for home console, handheld and PC gaming formats.

"FORMULA 1 is ambitious in expanding its reach with more circuits planned beyond recent additions in the Middle East and China," said Rod Cousens, chief executive officer, Codemasters. "It is also ambitious in expanding its reach via technology. The digital communities that computer and video gaming creates will play a key role in further growing the FORMULA 1 audience and connecting them globally. As a world-leading creator of driving games, this alliance with FORMULA 1 is the jewel in Codemasters' racing crown and creates an undisputed segment champion. FORMULA 1 has gone with the best, the segment leader. It has gone to the home of the EGO Engine for quality; it has gone to the company that can host FORMULA 1 Online, to the company that is streaking away from the pack."

"Codemasters' success and recent innovations in the racing game space makes the company more than appropriately tuned for the challenge," said Chris Deering, chairman, Codemasters. "The combination of FORMULA 1's new momentum of expansion and Codemasters' contemporary technology and past experience is the breaking of a new dawn for the sport, on the track and on the HD game screen."

The worldwide deal provides Codemasters with rights to feature all Grand Prix circuits, FORMULA 1 teams, cars, and driver likenesses.

The FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP games will be developed using the evolution of the award-winning EGO™ Game Technology Engine, Codemasters' highly versatile cross-platform middleware technology. Its advanced graphics and physics technology brings an unmatched cinematic quality and realism to interactive entertainment.

The EGO Engine is currently being deployed in the creation of GRID™, the latest in Codemasters Studio's international circuit-based racing series, set to be a landmark release when it launches on June 3.

Codemasters expects the first game based on the FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP to launch in 2009.

Race Driver : GRID PC Demo

Race Driver : GRID PC Demo is now available to download. The demo offers 3 events to compete in. The eBay Motors Muscle Cup sees you taking the wheel of a Ford Mustang GT-R and the streets of San Francisco, the Advan International Trophy hands you a Nissan S15 Silvia and your playground is Yokohama Docks, and the Euro Touring Car Series provides some old-school tin-top thrills with a BMW 320si touring car and the sweeping curves and hairpins of Jarama.

Click here to download the demo.

Gran Turismo 5 Franchise Ships more then 50 Million Units.

It has been ten years sine the first Gran Turismo was released. Sony and Polyphony Digital have announce to date the franchise has shipped in excess of 50 millions units globally. This figure also includes the recently released Gran Turismo 5 Prologue which has shipped over 2 million units.

Codemasters Secure Formula 1 Rights

Autosport.com are reporting that Codemasters have secured the rights to Formula 1 with their first game being released next season on multi-platforms. This will be the first new Formula 1 game since last year when Sony released F1 2006 Championship Edition for the PS3.

Rob Cousens, chief executive of Codemasters is quoted as saying:

"Formula One is ambitious in expanding its reach with more circuits planned beyond recent additions in the Middle East and China. It is also ambitious in expanding its reach via technology.

"The digital communities that computer and video gaming creates will play a key role in further growing the F1 audience and connecting them globally.

"As a world-leading creator of driving games, this alliance with F1 is the jewel in Codemasters' racing crown and creates an undisputed segment champion."

Chris Denning, chairman of Codemasters added:

"Codemasters' success and recent innovations in the racing game space makes the company more than appropriately tuned for the challenge.

"The combination of F1's new momentum of expansion and Codemasters' contemporary technology and past experience is the breaking of a new dawn for the sport, on the track and on the HD game screen."

The new game will be based on the EGO engine which is used in Colin McRae Rally and Race Driver : GRID. Codemasters have already started to bolster their development team with the recent acquisition of Sega Racing Studio.

No More DLC for Project Gotham Racing 4

Bizarre Creations have announced there will be no new DLC for Project Gotham Racing 4 in the foreseeable future and they have now handed over support to Microsoft. Earlier this year Bizarre Creations was acquired by Activision.

Ben Wand, Bizarre's Community Manager recently posted on the PGR 4 forums:

"Bizarre Creations won't be adding anything more to PGR4 in the future," he wrote. "We've completed the hand-over to Microsoft, so any further add-ons will come from them and not us I'm afraid."