Project CARS 4 shows possible signs of life

It’s been two years since the release of Project CARS 3. However, the third instalment was a Project CARS game in all but name. The first two games were hardcore racing simulators, but the third game might as well have been an arcade racing spin-off. Removing pit stops, tyre wear, and fuel usage didn’t go down well with fans, tarnishing the series' reputation.

According to former Slightly Mad Studios CEO Ian Bell, Project CARS 4 is in development and will return to its sim racing roots. Project CARS 4 still hasn’t been officially announced, but a reveal could be around the corner judging from the former CEO's recent social media post.

Project CARS 4 is “awesome,” says former Slightly Mad CEO

“If PCars4 is awesome it was all me,” Bell wrote on Twitter. “If it isn’t. I left 6 months ago.” Thatsimulators doesn’t give us much to go on, but this is notably the first time Bell has referenced Project CARS 4 in over a year.

Back in 2020, Bell boldly claimed that Project CARS 4 will be the “most realistic simulator ever made.” He also showed how leaves will cast shadows on each other in the game’s realistic lighting engine.

His Tweets were deleted, but it was enough to give fans a glimmer of hope the series will return to its former glory. Two years later, we’re still waiting for Project CARS 4 to be announced.

Will Project CARS 4 be announced soon?

A lot has happened to Slightly Mad Studios over the last few years. In 2019, the studio was sold to Codemasters.

Now, Slightly Mad Studios is owned by Electronic Arts after Codemasters was acquired by the company for $1.2 billion in 2021. Bell then left Slightly Mad Studios in October 2021 to work on other projects. He’s currently working on a new Crypto currency called MadCoin.

Apart from Assetto Corsa Competizione, there’s a lack of serious racing simulations on current-gen consoles. Project CARS 4 would allow EA to compete in the sim racing market. But with EA publishing F1 2022 and Criterion’s Need for Speed game this year, we aren’t expecting Project CARS 4 to be announced until later this year at the earliest.