If you ever played Papyrus’ seminal Grand Prix Legends then you’ve read his name. Rich began working as a tester on NASCAR Racing (1994) and was with Papyrus at the end. In this interview, published in 2022, we discuss his time at the legendary studio and the design of Grand Prix Legends, including initial feelings of hurt at not being asked to join iRacing.
RSC contains a database of 155 developers, 470 software titles, 374 cars, 42 bikes, 242 tracks and more...Originally working in military simulator design, this Michigan-based studio developed Zone Raiders for Virgin Interactive before moving to Electronic Arts for publishing their second PC title, Sports Car GT, when Westwood Studios (their SCGT development partner) was acquired by the software giant.
Known primarily for their mod-friendly SCGT and rFactor racing platforms, ISI also developed Formula One and NASCAR titles on PC for Electronic Arts, but perhaps their lasting contribution to the genre was the licensing of the isiMotor engine that allowed studios such as 2Pez, Blimey! Games, KW Studios, Motorsport Games, Reiza Studios, SIMBIN Studios, Slightly Mad Studios, The Sim Factory, Tiburon and rFactor 2‘s ongoing developer Studio 397 to begin with or release on an evolution of their software.
Another fork of the isiMotor engine, rFpro, continues to be developed and is used by a wide array of automotive companies for both road and motorsport simulation.
RSC Podcast Episode 8 – Richard Burns Rally SpecialJoin Jon Denton, Tim Wheatley, Simon Croft and guest(s) as they discuss sim racing and racing games past, present and future.
RSC contains a database of news items. Our #OnThisDay page shows current day and current week of years past...
RSC contains a database of videos back to the 1980s catalogued as intros, laps, trailers, unboxings and more...
RSC contains a database of emulated software you can play in your browser...
Embracer Group today announced that they have agreed with various lenders to extend their credit windows to 2025 while they continue working on cost reductions. The company, which has made significant progress by making mass layoffs and closing various studios, had appeared to overspend significantly the past few years and has blamed the failure of a $2 billion deal that fell through earlier this year for their current situation.
There has currently been no word on whether in-house games like SnowRunner, Expeditions, Dakar Desert Rally, MotoGP or the SBK franchise were affected by the financial status of the company, but I do think most of us expected to see SBK 22 bugfixed and SBK 23 to have existed considering the excitement around the original licensing announcement.
Their text:
Press release • December 18, 2023 • 08:00
EMBRACER GROUP ANNOUNCES EXTENSION OF CREDIT AND LOAN FACILITIESEmbracer Group AB (”Embracer”) has entered into agreements for its two main credit- and loan facilities, with a nominal value of around SEK 17 billion, extending the maturity until February and May 2025, respectively. The amendment agreements include scheduled quarterly minimum prepayments, that amount to SEK 2.6 billion on an accumulated basis up until January 2025, starting in Q1 FY 24/25. The currently expected interest rate on the group’s total debt, based on a floating rate, is around 6.15%.
“We are pleased to further strengthen Embracer’s financial flexibility, which also demonstrates the confidence that our main banks and financial institutions have in our financial profile and strategy. As part of the ongoing restructuring program, we have the ambition to reduce debt, both on a gross and net debt level. This credit and loan extension is aligned with our own agenda and puts us in a stronger position as we transition from heavy-investment mode to a highly cash-flow generative business”, says Lars Wingefors, co-founder and Group CEO of Embracer.
About Embracer Group
Embracer Group is a global Group of creative and entrepreneurial businesses in PC, console, mobile and board games and other related media. The Group has an extensive catalog of over 900 owned or controlled franchises. With its head office based in Karlstad, Sweden, Embracer Group has a global presence through its twelve operative groups: THQ Nordic, PLAION, Coffee Stain, Amplifier Game Invest, Saber Interactive, DECA Games, Gearbox Entertainment, Easybrain, Asmodee, Dark Horse, Freemode and Crystal Dynamics – Eidos. The Group has 135 internal game development studios and is engaging more than 15,500 employees in more than 40 countries.
