Milestone puts the brakes on MXGP

Milestone is the leading developer of bike racing games. 2022 was a busy year for the Italian studio with the releases of MotoGP 22, Monster Energy Supercross 5, and SBK 22.

But the future of one of the developer’s officially licensed bike racing franchises is now in doubt.

Future of MXGP series in doubt

MXGP 2021 was announced in October 2021 and released in December of the same year. But with no MXGP 2022 game announced or released last year, fans have been questioning the future of the dirt bike series.

YouTuber Windham151 reached out to Milestone to find out if there will be a new MXGP game.

In an official statement, Milestone responded: “As a reference point for lovers of two-wheel racing video games, it was difficult for us to make the decision not to release a new chapter of the MXGP series. However, our love for dirt bikes is far from over; see you at a new start gate”.

Will there be a new MXGP game?

The “new start gate” likely refers to Monster Energy Supercross 6, which is landing on PC and consoles this March. As for the MXGP game series, the license has likely run out and hasn’t been renewed, possibly bringing an end to the series under Milestone’s tenure.

As a result, there will be no new MXGP game this year. Low sales could be to blame since MXGP isn't very popular outside the US.

Milestone could also be taking a temporary break from the series, but it looks like we won’t be getting a new MXGP game for a few years unless another developer picks up the license.

Freeing up resources will allow Milestone to focus on the more popular MotoGP series and hopefully develop a new RIDE game. RIDE 4 was released in 2020, so we could get a sequel this year. 

Another possibility is that Milestone could be making a new dirt bike game this year based on the 2023 SuperMotocross World Championship instead.

Starting this year, the SuperMotocross World Championship combines the AMA Motocross Championship and AMA Supercross Championship into one series.

Based on the FIM Motocross World Championship, Milestone has developed seven MXGP games since 2014, making it one of the studio’s longest-running franchises. The first game, MXGP: The Official Motocross Videogame, launched in November 2014 for PC, PS3, PS4, PS Vita and Xbox 360.

Since then, the series has evolved with improved riding physics and track deformation as well as new features including a track editor.