This morning, I was reading transcripts of yesterday’s FIA GT press conference at Spa Francorchamps. SRO’s Stephane Ratel did not just unveil plans for a GT World Championship there, he also mentioned the topic of official video games.
As most of you know, both GTR and GTR2 were officially based on the FIA GT championship. Ever since GTR2, we??re waiting for a new GT racing game since Simbin has moved over to WTCC racing. Ratel mentioned the following during the press conference:
???We also hope to develop video games. We have done this before with some beautiful product but there has been opposition from some prestigious manufacturers (over licensing).
I think this is wrong, it???s not about making money, today it is very important to promote the Championship and we hope to get the agreement of all the manufacturers to promote their cars and the World championship through a video game.???
Opposition over licensing from prestigious manufacturers? That’s the first thing I have heard about the GTR-games and licensing issues. Could this be the reason why GTR Evolution includes no Ferrari and Porsche cars? Both manufacturers are known for being extremely anal strict when it comes to licensing of their cars.
What does this mean for the future of the GTR series? Who knows, but it sure sounds like another FIA GT game would be facing possible licensing issues.
