Le Mans, France, Wednesday, 14 June 2023. Le Mans Ultimate – the official game of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and World Endurance Championship – was announced ahead of the eagerly-anticipated Centenary edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans (10-11 June), with a first look available for fans to play during the build-up to the ultimate endurance race.
An early version of the game developed by Studio 397 and Motorsport Games Inc. (the “Company” or “Motorsport Games”) was available in the Family Fan Village for race goers of all ages to try an early build preview presented by Thrustmaster. The free to play activation allowed over 3,200 fans to get behind the wheel of either the Porsche 963 Hypercar or Ferrari 488 GTE on full rig set-ups. The session around a virtual Circuit de la Sarthe gave drivers a chance to echo the real-life action taking place race around the legendary venue, using with the latest products from Thrustmaster, including the entry-level T248 wheel or bespoke sim racing Direct Drive T818.
Among those sampling an early version of the PC-based game was factory Porsche Penske Motorsport driver Matt Campbell and Porsche Coanda Esports Racing Team star Joshua Rogers who put the Porsche 963 Hypercar through its paces. Ferrari was also represented, as Scuderia Ferrari Esports drivers Timotej Andonovski and Alex Siebel were on hand to give feedback on the Ferrari 488 GTE machine.
Further to the presence in the fan zone, the traditional pre-event press conference organised by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) saw the premiere of the first teaser video for the game [LINK], alongside the news of the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship calendar and Hydrogen prototype plans from Toyota, the first manufacturer to announce plans for the new-for-2026 category.
In conjunction with the week-long activation, the Le Mans Ultimate Steam store went live. This will enable PC gamers to add the title to their Wishlist, so they can be kept up to date with the latest developments ahead of the expected release in December 2023 – bit.ly/LeMansUltimateOnSteam
Source: Autosport