In April 2023, the world of motorsport mourned the loss of WRC driver Craig Breen. Driving for Hyundai, the 33-year-old Irish rally driver was tragically killed in a crash during a test session for the 2023 Croatia Rally.
“The WRC family is shocked and saddened to learn of Craig Breen's passing. Our thoughts and condolences are with the family and friends of Craig at this incredibly sad time,” WRC said in a statement at the time.
Codemasters has confirmed to RacingGames that EA Sports WRC will honour Breen in a special tribute.
EA Sports WRC will have a special Craig Breen tribute
"That was incredibly upsetting and tragic. We worked with the WRC who worked with Craig’s family. We’ve got Craig in the game. There is a tribute ribbon to him on the driver select screen," EA Sports WRC’s senior creative director Ross Gowing told RacingGames.
A tribute ribbon was also added to Anthoine Hubert in F1 2020’s driver select screen following the French driver’s death in a 2019 Formula 2 championship crash at Spa.
One of EA Sports WRC’s headline features is the new Moments mode. An evolution of DiRT Rally 2.0’s daily challenges, players will relive iconic moments from the WRC’s illustrious 50-year history, with new Moments added every 24 hours.
For added context, each Moment opens with a 20 or 30-second clip of the actual event. Some of these Moments will be dedicated to Breen’s WRC achievements.
"In our Moments mode, we’re also including some moments dedicated to him; some of the fantastic things he achieved in his career,” said Gowing. “We've also done a slight edit of a special video WRC released at the time and put it in the game. We want to honour him – he was such a character within the sport. By working with everyone we’ve arrived at that being the most appropriate and sensitive way to honour him in the game."
A promising career
The son of Irish national rallying champion Ray Breen, Craig began his motorsport career in kart racing before switching to full-time rallying in 2009, winning the International, British and Irish Fiesta Sporting Trophy titles.
His WRC debut followed in 2011, winning the WRC Academy in a Ford Fiesta R2. The title went down to the wire in a heated battle between Breen and Estonian driver Egon Kaur in the final stage.
The next year saw Breen take the crown at the 2012 Super 2000 WRC support championship in a Fiesta S2000. He would later fulfil his dream of entering the top WRC class in 2016, driving for Citroen part-time before switching to Hyundai part-time between 2019 and 2021.
His first full WRC season came in 2022 when he joined the M-Sport World Rally Team before going back to Hyundai part-time in 2023.
One of the most loved characters in rallying, Breen proved his talent behind the wheel, achieving nine WRC podiums and six second-place finishes. Many saw him as a potential WRC champion.
Sadly, his rally driving career was cut short on 13 April 2023 when he was killed in a crash during a testing session for the 2023 Croatia Rally.
EA Sports WRC interview
For more on EA Sports WRC, check out our full interview with Ross Gowing. A wide range of topics are covered including the origins of the game, the inspiration behind the innovative car builder, and how the stages are designed. You can also view the full car list and location list.
EA Sports slides onto PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S on 3 November. Those who pre-order will get early access starting on 31 October.