MotoGP 22 Officially Announced, Coming April, 2022

Back in 2021 Milestone announced an extension to their MotoGP license until 2026, leading most to assume that they’d continue to release another title every year. That assumption appears to be correct with Milestone today announcing that MotoGP 22 will release on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch and Steam on April 21, 2022.

You can see their full press statement below, but the highlights mentioned include:
– Full 2022 season, 120+ riders, 20+ circuits, 70+ historic riders
– 2009 Season docu-game allows players to play out the storyline of the 2009 season
– Two-player split-screen mode
– Managerial career mode
– Tire deformation
– Tires and brake temps now affected in the slipstream for players and AI
– Improved realism, facial animations, 3D animations
– Improved suspension feel over kerbs
– Ride Height Device suspension adjustments
– Enhanced tracks (improved rideability, whatever that means)

It also noted that cross-play will only work with consoles of the same family (I assume this means PS4 and PS5 together, but unable to play against anyone on Xbox, while players on Xbox One and X/S can play against each other but not against those on a PlayStation console).

Official screenshots:

Official trailer (shows 2021 liveries):

View this video on YouTube. Please consider subscribing to RSC’s channel.

Full press statement:

MotoGP™ is back, adding new amazing content and features for both newcomers and core gamers
The greatest edition of the MotoGP™ franchise is here

Theale, UK – February 24th, 2022 – Milestone and Dorna Sports S.L. are proud to announce MotoGP™22, the next chapter of the celebrated two-wheel racing simulation game. Coming to PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch™ and Steam MotoGP™22 are set to launch on April 21st, 2022.

MotoGP™22 continues the great legacy of the franchise, adding amazing new features to the game. (NINE) Season 2009 is a brand-new mode to re-live one of the most incredible seasons in the MotoGP™ history. Players will enjoy a real docu-film narrated by Mark Neale, director of the best MotoGP™ documentaries, with more than 50 minutes of original footage from the 2009 Season. But players won’t just witness history, they will be part of it too! In fact, the fate of the race will be in the player’s hands thanks to dedicated challenges to re-live and play the most iconic moments. Players will find themselves in the boots of legendary riders such as Rossi, Pedrosa, Stoner and Lorenzo, trying to replicate history!

This year, MotoGP™22 has also added new features dedicated to the newcomers who are not familiar with the series, and to those who simply want to improve their style and master the gameplay mechanics. With the Revised Tutorial and the new MotoGP™ Academy now everyone can become a champion.

The Revised Tutorial is a series of short gameplay sessions with custom rules, to help new players to understand the basics of the game and feel confident on the bike. The new MotoGP™ Academy will teach how to improve and perfect their riding style to be faster on every track, through specific challenges focused on electronics, tire consumption, brakes temperature and core differences between the three main categories.

On top of that, the Adaptive Difficulty System will help players through in-game pop-up messages, suggesting how to adapt and modify the difficulty level based on their skills. For example, the game could recommend lowering the difficulty if players do not complete specific challenges or enable some help in case of too many falls, or even suggest playing the tutorial dedicated to the tire consumption in case they finished a race with tires in bad conditions. These hints will appear at the end of the race and players are free to follow these suggestions or not.

For those who are looking for a true next generation experience, here’s what the game has to offer:

A level of realism never seen before: new face animations, improved 3D characters and pits
Ride Height Device: players will be able to manually manage the locking mechanism of the RHD and control the compression of the bike’s suspensions
Enhanced tracks: surfaces have been improved to have a better rideability
Improved Suspension system: refined for a better feeling when passing over curbs
Tires and Brakes temperatures: are now affected by the slipstream, both for players and AI
Tire deformation: a more realistic tire behavior making the experience even closer to reality

Bigger, sharper, faster!

MotoGP™22 includes the full 2022 season with all the official content, including 120+ official riders and 20+ official circuits. Additionally, 70+ Historic Riders and bikes are available to bring back all the emotions of MotoGP™ legends.
The Managerial Career is back, allowing players to create their own team or join a real one managing every aspect of the strategy, from bike development to the dedicated staff that will support the rider. Players can also customize the season itself, choosing which Grand Prix they want to play from a different set of calendars.
And for the first time in the series, MotoGP™22 features the highly anticipated 2-player local split-screen*, online multiplayer* and cross-play through consoles of the same family