Top motor racing video game series to continue, hints Tesla Motors

Since the developers of Microsoft's highly rated Project Gotham Racing series were bought out by rival publisher Activision, fans have been in the dark about the series' future. However, an article on Tesla Motors' company website reveals that development is underway, as sound engineers from Microsoft Games Studios' Project Gotham Racing team made recordings of the manufacturer's flagship electric sportscar.

Tom Burt, owner and driver of the Tesla Roadster electric sportscar that was used during recording wrote in a November 18 article for the Tesla website:

"In early October I got a chance to really burn some electrons, all in the interests of better gaming experiences for the masses. A team of sound engineers from Microsoft Game Studios (some working on Forza, some on Project Gotham Racing) asked if I was willing to take my Roadster to a track so they could record a variety of sounds."

Bizarre Creations, who masterminded the first four Project Gotham Racing games, were taken over by Activision in September 2007, and have since turned their attentions to a new title, Blur, due out in Spring 2010.

Microsoft, however, retained the rights to the Project Gotham Racing name, though not much has been revealed about the future of the series since Bizarre Creations' departure.

Forza Motorsport 3 was released in late October to critical acclaim, and Mr Burt's comments could be interpreted as a substantiation of rumors that Forza developers Turn 10 have also been given Microsoft's go-ahead to work on the Project Gotham Racing franchise.

Furthermore, the Tesla Roadster was not included in the retail copy of Forza 3, indicating that its eventual inclusion is likely to be in the form of a downloadable content pack released at a later date. The Hot Holidays Car Pack is scheduled for release on December 8 via the Xbox Live network at a cost of 400 Microsoft Points (~ $5 / €4.65), with only the Ferrari 468 confirmed at the time of writing.

More information
Electrifying The Game Industry: teslamotors.com/blog5/?p=75