Milestone has released a new MotoGP game for the last ten years like clockwork. We usually get a new MotoGP game in April, but this year is different.
The end of March has brought the MotoGP 23 reveal trailer and there's a new release date for the annual Grand Prix Motorcycle game. After complete silence from Milestone, we were wondering when MotoGP 23 would be announced.
How has the release date changed though? And why is the game launching later than normal? We're going to look back at previous years and explain why this isn't a huge surprise.
Update: MotoGP 23 announceed
After no word from Milestone, the MotoGP 23 reveal trailer has now dropped since publication! This trailer hints at an emphasis on the rivalry between your rider and the other competitors on the circuit.
There's also a confirmation of dynamic weather in MotoGP 23.
Where is the MotoGP 23 Announcement?
The 2023 MotoGP season got underway earlier this month. Unlike some annual racing games based on a real-life sport like WRC and Formula 1, the MotoGP adaptation is usually released only a month or so after the start of the season.
That was been the case for the past three games, which were released in April of their respective years.
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+ 4An April launch meant that the reveal trailer would usually drop in late February as the first official announcement of the title.
In the two months between announcement and release, we normally see a few more trailers. These trailers highlight new gameplay features or new modes such as 2022's Nine Career Mode.
Going back to old ways
However, Milestone are going back to their old ways by avoiding an April release date. April wasn't a constant release date since Milestone took over the MotoGP video game franchise in 2013.
If you go back to the days of MotoGP 19, the game was released in June 2019. We've gone back to this for MotoGP 23, as the release date has been confirmed to be 8th June 2023.
click to enlarge + 4We're not sure why the release date has been shifted to the Summer. Although, this could be down to Monster Energy Supercross 6 only being released in February of this year.
However, Monster Energy Supercross 5 was released in February 2022 and it didn't delay the announcement of MotoGP 22. So, while that could be the reason, it's not likely.
Big things could be on the way
Despite the disruptions endured by almost every other studio, Milestone have managed to run like clockwork over the past three years.
Their annual series such as MotoGP, MXGP and MESX have released on time with no delays, as have other one-off games such as Hot Wheels Unleashed.
click to enlarge + 4If a Milestone game is releasing later than anticipated, there has to be a good reason. What that reason is isn't clear, but we can have an educated guess at the cause.
MotoGP 22's single player mode raised the bar, with the Nine Career Mode surpassing F1 2021's Braking Point. It could be that the success of Nine has encouraged Milestone to sink more time and effort into MotoGP 23's equivalent.
MotoGP 23 will also mark the tenth anniversary of the series, so Milestone could be planning some special anniversary content.
click to enlarge + 4It's also possible that the two new circuits on the 2023 MotoGP calendar are proving difficult to integrate in time. Both the Indian and Kazakh Motorcycle Grands Prix are late additions to the calendar, with the latter proving to be a particular challenge due to the circuit not being raced on by any series yet.
Despite all those hypotheses though, it could simply be that Milestone wants their release calendar to be more evenly spread.
Time will tell what Milestone is planning for MotoGP 23. We've already had a sneak peek though, and there seems to be a real emphasis on the rivalry between your rider and the 2022 champion Francesco Bagnaia.
For more articles like this, take a look at our MotoGP page.