‘NASCAR 25’ races against Madden
In game photo of NASCAR 25 | Courtesy of iRacing Studios
The brand new NASCAR 25 video game by iRacing Studios released on Oct. 16 to critical acclaim from fans and raced its way into the top 10 sellers. The game at first was seen with uncertainty as after past titles failed to stick with fans.
Past titles like NASCAR 21: Ignition released by Motorsport Games disappointed fans with its bugs and glitches. It is considered the worst NASCAR game ever. No new NASCAR game was released for two years even when iRacing took over the license in 2023.
In an interview with Jayski Steve Myers, the executive vice-president of iRacing said, “We needed to do something like that to make it a success. Nowadays, with what you’re spending to make these games, it’s a tough road.” He mentioned the high costs of producing the game, marketing it and hiring people to do so.
The game would also have to go against competition in the market. NASCAR 25 would go against five other sports titles such as NBA 2K, EA NHL, EA College Football and EA Madden NFL.
Along with skepticism and competition, it was a tough road to follow like Myers said. However when the game was released, the numbers spoke for themselves. After its release, they sold over 200,000 copies on Playstation 5 and Xbox Series X. The game raced into the top 10 of best sellers of both consoles according to EssentiallySports and Daily Express US.
Playstation ranked the game on all releases selling around 52,200 copies and Xbox, which ranked it fourth with 60,200 in October according to data tracker GameDiscoverCo. This puts the title next to its competitors in unchartered territory according to the Daily Express US.
These numbers delighted Myers, as the title set a new standard for the foundation of new NASCAR games.
“We are over the moon thrilled,” Myers said.
“You put two years of work into something, you are worried with how people are going to receive this. Clearly, there was a market and customer base that was dying for this, so expectations were very high. It was very stressful.”
Myers added that he and his team at iRacing felt accomplished by the success of NASCAR 25 and are ready to bring the franchise into the next generation of NASCAR video gaming. He also stated that they will be working on a brand new title for the 2026 season.
It was a trip to victory lane for Myers, his team at iRacing and NASCAR as a whole. With the game built from the ground up with a new physics engine, real life data scanned race tracks, a new in depth career mode and brand new features, NASCAR gaming is back on the track.
NASCAR 25 is now available to play on PlayStation, Xbox and Steam.
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