For a while, the only driving games which featured Porsche cars were those made by Electronic Arts (EA). That has meant that unless they have played entries from EA’s Need for Speed series in recent years, players of driving games have probably not virtually driven a Porsche car for a while, if at all.
This could seem strange when you think about it, given that Porsche is one of the most famous sports car brands in the world. Since the early 2000s, EA has had exclusive rights to use cars from the Porsche brand in their driving games.
That has meant other popular racing franchises have missed out, although exceptions have occasionally been granted. For instance, Microsoft’s Forza and Project Gotham Racing series have featured Porsches before thanks to a sub-licence granted via EA.
EA exclusivity “not desirable anymore”
Things looks set to change dramatically for racing game fans though, as a German website called Speed Maniacs reports that EA’s exclusive rights over the Porsche brand will expire at the end of the year.
The report, which has been shared by numerous websites online, includes an acknowledgement from Porsche’s manager of branded entertainment, Sebastian Hornung, regarding the expiry of EA’s deal. Hornung says the decision was made when both companies “arrived at the realisation that the current situation was not desirable anymore.”
In the same report, Hornung mentions how some racing game franchises in recent years have gotten around Porsche’s EA exclusivity deal by featuring cars from Ruf Automobile. Ruf cars are technically recognised as its own distinct manufacturer, even though each car they offer is derived from an unmarked Porsche chassis.
Porsche was already arguably showing signs of a potential breakaway from EA exclusivity before this report, since cars from the brand have become available to download for Assetto Corsa, a racing game by Italian developer Kunos Simulazioni.
From next year then, official Porsche cars could potentially end up appearing in a wide range of famous racing games. Franchises like Gran Turismo, Forza Horizon, Project CARS and Codemasters’ GRID may add Porsche to their roster for future games.
