NASCAR 23 reportedly delayed to make way for IndyCar game

After the disastrous launch of NASCAR 21 Ignition, Motorsport Games wisely returned to the drawing board and cancelled development of NASCAR 22.

In its place was a free 2022 season expansion for NASCAR 21 Ignition, allowing developer Motorsport Games to focus on improving NASCAR 23's quality.

However, a new report from Insider Gaming claims that Motorsport Games is delaying NASCAR 23 to make way for the officially licensed IndyCar game.

NASCAR 23 reportedly delayed until 2024

Last year, Motorsport Games confirmed NASCAR 23 is expected to arrive in mid-2023. The plan is to move “in a new direction with the next NASCAR release” and use tech from KartKraft and rFactor 2.

But according to Insider Gaming, sources from Motorsport Games are “strongly anticipating” NASCAR 23 to be delayed until 2023 to prioritise the release of IndyCar. A 2023 release was already in doubt as NASCAR 23 is apparently still in the design phase.

IndyCar game expected to be next Motorsport Games release

The report goes on to say that employees “strongly believe” that IndyCar is set to be the next Motorsport Games release. It's believed that NASCAR 23 us "being built on the back of KartKraft and IndyCar."

There’s still no firm release date yet, but at least we have some reassurance that IndyCar is still on track for a 2023 release.

Despite this, we still haven’t seen any gameplay footage, while early screenshots have shown off a highly detailed Dallara chassis.

With iRacing forced to cancel the annual iRacing Indy 500 after losing the IndyCar license, it’s safe to say that the official IndyCar game has a lot to live up to so let’s hope Motorsport Games breaks the silence soon.

There could be trouble behind the scenes, however. Insider Gaming reports that unpaid Motorsport Games staff are threatening to leak source code for IndyCar, NASCAR: Ignition 21, NASCAR: Heat 5, and KartKraft to the public if employees are not paid by 25 January.

Other employees unaware of the situation told Insider Gaming they were “not surprised” as the disgruntled employee has “nothing to lose”.