Racing video game developer Codemasters has announced the newest instalment in its Grid series, Grid Legends, to be released in 2022.
The announcement came as part of the EA Play event hosted by Codemasters’ new owner Electronic Arts, which completed its purchase of the developer earlier this year.
A 90-second trailer was part of the reveal, and showcased the big unique selling point of the new game – a story mode with live-action segments, that will be “brought to life by a world-class cast”.
This will include Ncuti Gatwa, best known for playing Eric on the acclaimed Netflix original series Sex Education.
Grid Legends will be the fifth game in the Grid series, although the trailer suggests it will have more in common with the series’ spiritual predecessors – the TOCA Race Driver games.
Yet the rival Ravenwest team and their driver Nathan McKane, who were staples of the GRID titles, will return for the latest release in the franchise.
The game will feature “real circuits like Brands Hatch and Indianapolis” and a total of 130 routes. The series’ “largest-ever car roster” is promised and is to include “classic tourers, single-seaters, big rigs” and more.
Also, as the trailer briefly shows, players will be able to have races with cars from different classes. That means open-wheel racers will be able to be raced against racing trucks, which is the most extreme example.
Many of the disciplines of motorsport that previous GRID games were known for, including many serious races on purpose-built race tracks, street circuit racing and drifting events, will all be included in the new title. Some of the new real-world city locations include London and Moscow.
“Grid Legends combines everything our players love and adds more exhilarating race features, including our new epic story mode,” said Chris Smith, Grid Game Director at Codemasters.
“We’re giving players more variety and choice, whether that’s creating their ultimate races using our race creator or bringing back the community-requested Drift mode.
“This is just the start of the journey, and we can’t wait to reveal more in the coming months.”
Grid Legends will be released on Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5, alongside PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
