EA SPORTS WRC Announced for November

Since the takeover by EA Sports, Codemasters has had a couple of changes take place within the studio. There has been an influx of publisher pressure and cash, a slight push to push more on the live service elements of F1 games, and (as was noted last year) a merger with Criterion Games, the developer behind Burnout. One little thing snuck by before that $1.2 Billion deal went through in February 2021, the license for the WRC. In a five-year deal that begins now, the studio behind the more arcadey Colin McRae Rally/Dirt series helms the official game of the championship.

EA Sports WRC was revealed yesterday with a trailer showcasing very little gameplay. Instead, Sean Bean throws buzzwords at you while you watch cinematics possibly from the in-game engine. All of this is inter-spliced with shots of the championship throughout history to highlight the drama, the marginal gains, and the bits that those who don’t watch find really really boring. The announcement was topped off with what wasn’t really in the trailer: You’ll be able to play the latest edition of the WRC titled EA SPORTS WRC on the 3rd of November. However, it was revealed in the trailer that you can digitally pre-order now to get 3 days of early access on October 31st.

Coming to PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S, Senior creative director Ross Gowing says: “EA SPORTS WRC is the purest form of motorsport where every stage is a fight against the clock, the terrain, and yourself.” He also continues on to give the usual waffle that you see in these press releases about the studio’s ability through experience, passion, and so on: “This is the rally game we’ve always wanted to make.” He also highlights that running in Unreal Engine is supposed to allow for additional features like Builder which allows you to make your own (modern) Rally car. Additionally, Moments is a daily challenge to recreate points in the 2023 season.

With 17 Rallies upon release with the Central European Rally from Germany coming in a post-release, you’ll be able to cover the many kilometers (it’s a unit of measurement, apparently) in 10 current WRC, WRC2, and Junior WRC cars with 68 iconic cars from the 60 years of rally and the 51 years of the championship. Arguably the best addition this time around is the change/update to pace notes, with a supposed simplified command system for those new to the series. I might finally understand the pace notes after giggling like a child at “sechshundert” all the time.

Alongside some additions such as the Builder and Moments modes, there is the new Dynamic Handling System aimed to refine and more accurately depict off-road racing on dirt while allowing new players to refine their skills. Multiplayer is getting a large kick up the backside too. Cross-platform multiplayer with up to 32 players gives you, your WRC-liking friends, and about 20+ others the chance to moan about each other and proclaim yourselves as the better driver. I think after my experiences with multiplayer in F1 earlier this year, it is obvious what I think of the online racing community.

Those excited for the next chapter of Rally in-games won’t have to wait long as we are just under two months away from the official release of EA SPORTS WRC on November 3rd. I’m interested to see what Codemasters can bring this time around after playing and enjoying Dirt 5 a couple of years ago.