Remember when Motorsport Games announced a new officially licensed British Touring Car Championship game? The first BTCC game in over 20 years was originally slated for a 2022 release.
Sadly, the release appears to be in limbo as the highly anticipated BTCC game was mysteriously removed from Motorsport Games’ release schedule.
A revised release date still hasn’t been announced, so we still don’t know what’s happening with the BTCC game. All is not lost though, because rFactor 2 is getting official BTCC content this month. Not many racing games let you replicate the beloved BTCC, but this is thankfully about to change.
BTCC cars coming to rFactor 2 this month
It’s now clear why Studio is adding British racing circuits to rFactor 2, with the recent announcements of Donington Park and Brands Hatch.
In a blog post, Studio 397 has announced that official BTCC cars are coming to rFactor 2 as part of the Q2 Content Drop in May, with official teams and drivers from the 2021 championship.
So far, two BTCC cars have been revealed for rFactor 2. First up is the Infiniti Q50 driven by Aiden Moffat and Ashley Sutton in the 2021 season. Like its road car counterpart, the Q50 has a rear-wheel-drive setup.
Joining the Q50 is the 2021 Toyota Corolla GR driven by Rory Butcher and Sam Smelt and run by Speedworks Motorsport. Replacing the Toyota Avensis, the Corolla GR touring car uses a front-wheel-drive setup. Both cars run with the TOCA / Swindon engine power unit.
These two cars are the first of several BTCC cars coming to rFactor 2 over the coming months, with the first batch featuring the Infiniti Q50 and Toyota Corolla GR included in the Q2 Content Drop this month.
Each car is meticulously laser-scanned in collaboration with the teams and championship, while tyre manufacturer Goodyear is working closely with Studio to provide the most accurate BTCC representation possible in a racing game.
Given that Studio 397 was acquired by Motorsport Games last year, we can’t help but wonder if rFactor 2’s BTCC content is replacing the official BTCC game.
Q2 Content Drop
There’s no release date yet, but rFactor 2’s Q2 Content Drop is launching in May. As well as adding the Brands Hatch and Donington Park circuits, the Q2 Content Drop will also feature improved engine sounds, weather effects, and driver AI, as previewed in the April Release Candidate.