IRacing is deep in development of its first NASCAR console game, NASCAR 25, and it has released a new developer diary going over some of the features of the game’s career mode.
The diary first talks about the previous announcement that the Arca series is coming to a console game for the first time. The series will be available in career and other modes throughout NASCAR 25.
“So, why having Arca, Trucks, Xfinity and Cup is so important, especially from a design perspective, is we finally get to do what is a realistic career mode that somebody would actually follow in real life,” Director of Development and Production John Schneider said.
Elsewhere in the NASCAR 25 career mode, there will be opportunities to grow your driver’s brand off the track and spend your time. Players will be able to build their reputation by helping clean up a park, helping around the shop, or even have a part in a movie. Your sponsors might also have tasks for you that will help keep you in their good graces.
“You’ll have to balance between building your reputation and your brand, and being successful on the race track,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. said.
There will even be decisions on how you spend your money to improve your team and become a top contender in every series you enter. According to Mike Devault, the game’s UX lead, designing the career mode was a “herculean effort”.
“You want to make sure that you have all the right details in there about what makes a NASCAR career really authentic,” he said. “At the same time, you don’t want to make everybody have to go through all the minutia of managing a race team and the finances and the employees.
“It’s a nice balance, and I think we’ve pulled this off really well in NASCAR 25 where if you want to just concentrate as being a driver, you can do that while mildly being involved in some of the decision making. But, if you want to go in there and manage every last little detail, you’re going to be able to do that as well.”
Devault added that throughout the career, interactions between driver, crew chief, and team will feel more authentic as opposed to being too much “like a UI screen.”
NASCAR 25 launches this fall for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Nintendo Switch.
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