Newman/Haas Racing Announced for Q4 1998 Release

Psygnosis made the following press release, trailer and screenshots available at the E3 Gaming Expo (Atlanta, GA) in 1998:

NEWMAN/HAAS™ RACING: AN AMERICAN INDY CAR CHALLENGE

A second high profile Indy car title reinforces Psygnosis commitment to racing genre.

Atlanta, GA – May 28, 1998 – Under their licensing agreement with the Newman/Haas Racing team Psygnosis will be launching the PC CD-ROM version of Newman/Haas Racing: An American Indy Car Challenge™ in Q3 1998. Already highly acclaimed for their international best-selling racing games Formula 1 and Formula 1: Championship Edition* and the PlayStation* version of Newman/Haas Racing, this pairing of the three-time CART (Championship Auto Racing Teams, Inc.) champions and the publishers of represents one of the most exciting alliances in motor-sports gaming.

Newman/Haas Racing will feature the remarkable Newman/Haas Racing driver Christian Fittipaldi, the 1996 CART Champion Jimmy Vasser, Arie Luyendyk, winner of the 1997 Indy 500, Robby Gordon (who will be racing in CART in 1998) and the current world champion Alex Zanardi amongst a total of 16 famous indy car drivers. There are 15 tracks with well known locations like the Milwaukee Mile, Road America, the Rio 400 and Laguna Seca, plus, new to CART in 1998, the Texaco Grand Prix of Houston. The game will feature a varied selection of ‘oval’, ‘street’ and ‘permanent’ race tracks, plus the famous ‘Firebird’ test track and hidden fantasy tracks. Famous US commentators Danny Sullivan and Bob Varsha from ABC/ESPN will provide a dual commentary.

The finer details of indy car racing are included in Newman/Haas Racing – motion-captured pit crews adjust the wings, change the tyres and level off your fuel; there’s a functional cockpit view with rearview mirrors; realistic collisions and crashes send car parts flying on to the track. Stunning camera views include full TV style replay and there are extensive set up options to enhance your game.

Newman/Haas Racing offers multi-play for up to eight over a Local Area Network.

The Newman/Haas Racing organization was co-founded in 1983 by former race-driver and noted team owner Carl Haas, and actor, team owner and race-driver Paul Newman. The team has won 52 Indy car events and three PPG titles.
“We’re very excited to be involved with Psygnosis and their new game featuring our race team,” said Carl A. Haas, team co-owner of Newman/Haas Racing. “Today’s technology enables us to get more people involved with CART racing through interactive racing games such as this one. On track, we offer close, competitive racing and now we can offer additional hours
of excitement through the game. Only a very small percentage of the world will ever be able to drive a racecar like we compete with in CART. Through the Newman/Haas Racing game we will provide the closest thing to driving a real race car.”

Newman/Haas Racing comes from development house Studio 33 (who have previously developed the PlayStation version of the game, launched Q1 1998), founded by former Psygnosis Director of Software Development, John White. An avid racing enthusiast himself, White has assembled a team of like-minded race fans who were introduced to the world of American motor-sport when then-reigning Formula 1 Champion, Nigel Mansell, raced in the U.S. during the 1993 and ‘94 seasons (ironically for the Newman/Haas Racing team, for whom Mansell won the 1993 PPG Cup). Studio 33 personnel met with team engineers at Newman/Haas Racing and gathered invaluable research data.

General Information
Format: PlayStation, PC CD-ROM
Launch: PlayStation – 1st Quarter 1998, PC CD-ROM – 2nd Quarter 1998
Genre: Racing
Number Of Players: PlayStation – 1-2, PC CD-ROM – Up to 8 via LAN
Developer: Studio 33

Key Features
– Developed in association with the Newman/Haas Racing team
-Choose from 16 individually licensed drivers including Christian Fittipaldi, Jimmy Vasser, Alex Zanardi, and Scott Pruett
-11 fully licensed CART tracks including the Houston street course, new to the 1998 season, and not found in any other racing game
-Head-to-head racing action with 2-player split-screen on PlayStation and 8-players via LAN on PC
-Realistic racing action with debris-releasing crashes, detailed car set ups, and motion-captured pit stops
-In-game commentary from Champ car champion Danny Sullivan and ESPN race announcer Bobby Varsha

Marketing Information
-Extensive Specialist Press campaign featuring driver Christian Fittipaldi
-Significant PR campaign
-Official Newman/Haas Racing web site
-Co-marketing partnership with steering wheel manufacturer