Founded in 1999 by British entrepreneur Maximillion Cooper, the Gumball 3000 is an epic globe-trotting rally race featuring exotic supercars.
Inspired by the 1976 film The Gumball Rally, the 3000-mile road race is popular with celebrities and racing drivers, attracting the likes of Jamiroquai, Lewis Hamilton, and Jodie Kidd. Because the race takes place on public roads, the Gumball 3000 also attracts controversy. Police have pulled drivers over for speeding in the past.
With its mix of fast cars, street racing in a variety of locations, and police chases, the Gumball 3000 lends itself perfectly to a racing game. However, there hasn’t been an official Gumball 3000 game in 20 years – but that’s about to change.
New Gumball 3000 game in development by SimFabric
The Gumball 3000 has announced a new racing game is in development based on the road rally. Little is known about the new Gumball 300 game yet, though. What we do know is that the new Gumball 3000 game is being developed by GR Games and SimFabric, an independent studio based in Warsaw, Poland.
When it comes to driving games, SimFabric doesn’t have a lot of experience. Established in 2016, the Polish developer specialises in simulation games. These games include Farm&Fix 2020, Moon Village, and Mushrooms: Forest Walker, the “first mushroom simulator in the history.”
Recreating the 3000-mile Gumball Rally in a video game sounds like an ambitious project for the indie studio. We’ll reserve judgement until we see some screenshots and gameplay footage.
Gumball 3000 game release date
The new Gumball 3000 game will release in 2024 to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the road rally. That’s a long time to wait, but this is probably a blessing as 2022 is overcrowded with new racing game releases. It will be a “multi-platform video game,” but specific platforms are yet to be confirmed.
Developed by Climax Studios, the last Gumball 3000 game was released in 2002 on PS2. On modern hardware, the new game will hopefully capture the scale and atmosphere of the real-life Gumball 3000.
Gumball 3000 eSports series
Founder and Creative Director of Gumball 3000 Maximillion Cooper has also invested a “significant stake” in GR Games. With Cooper actively involved in the project, it should deliver an authentic experience.
The new Gumball 3000 game will also spawn an eSports series. An eSport recreating the gruelling 3,000-mile road race certainly sounds like an exciting prospect. GR Games is also “appointing a team of international specialists in the field of racing and rally games” to create a “Gumball 3000 series of games.”
“We're incredibly excited to be releasing a new multi-platform game to coincide with our 25th Anniversary,” Maximillion Cooper commented. In the past few years we've seen more eSports and celebrity gamers and influencers participating in the rally - including FaZe Clan and Clout Gang - and in many ways these are our new ‘rock star’ participants."
"To be launching a Gumball 3000 video game and to make the jump into the world of eSports is an important move for Gumball to allow a wider audience to experience and be part of Gumball 3000!"