A racing game has to be an online multi-player. Competitors all over the world vying for a cup, that’s the way it has to be. Everything about World of Speed looks amazing. The announcement trailer shows sleek graphics, not only the rides but the scenery as well. It’s also free-to-play, which raises concerns about pay-to-win. At the end of the race, who will be drinking the champagne? The guys with the most disposable income? The developers say it’s not pay-to-win but pay-to-speed-things-up: not only your car, but your progress. Which means, a cheapie like me will spend several weeks with a clunker before giving in or giving up. Probably the latter.
Instead of microtransactions and upgrade purchases, do it like the real deal. Sell tourney entrance fees or subscription and reward prize money. Sell and place ads on the cars. Broadcast the races on Twitch and elsewhere. Make celebrities of the best drivers. Racing games aren’t FPSs or MMORPGs. It’ll get boring. It’ll get repetitive. So disrupt the FTP model, and then disrupt it again.