iFIA Rally Star – Discovering the future stars of rally in WRC 9

Lesquin, France, August 13, 2020 – NACON, KT Racing and the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) are delighted to unveil their brand-new collaboration for the first worldwide program to discover future rally drivers: FIA Rally Star. It will be available this December through a DLC for WRC 9, the official video game of the FIA World Rally Championship.

The eSports WRC Championship already provides many talented players the chance to compete throughout the year in a virtual competition that mirrors the World Rally Championship, WRC 9 is taking the next step to become the exclusive platform for this innovative new program that aims to unearth the drivers of tomorrow.

Open to all players between 17 and 26 years old, this multi-phase selection process gives the most promising drivers the opportunity to take part in a training and coaching program supervised by the FIA. Seven finalists, including one female driver, could ultimately start their international career before aiming to join the FIA Junior WRC.

Attention drivers! The first FIA Rally Star qualification phase starts in 2021 in WRC 9. The program is available to anyone who owns the game on consoles or PC as part of the FIA Rally Star DLC, available in December.

As the latest version of the WRC’s popular video game, WRC 9 is the best game for young drivers to reveal their skills. Giving access to more than 800km of special stage from all 13 schedules rounds of the 2020 season, WRC 9 is the most realistic rally simulation ever made.

“Being innovative and global, FIA Rally Star’s ambition is to develop new solutions allowing young drivers from all over the world to reveal their potential. As soon as we introduced the project to NACON and KT Racing teams, they showed great enthusiasm and we couldn’t have hoped for better platform than WRC 9 to select the most promising candidates.” declares Yves Matton, Rally Director at FIA. “The FIA World Rally Championship brings together fans from every continent. Many of them dream to get behind the wheel and our wish is to make our sport more accessible. Through FIA Rally Star and its digital version in WRC 9, living this passion is simpler than ever.”

“The idea that the future stars of rally will start their professional driving careers because of WRC 9 is a great pride for the entire team and one of the best rewards for all the work we have put in over the last few years,” said Roman Vincent, founder and CEO of KT Racing development studio. “After the success of eSports WRC, which has already unearthed hugely talented players, we can’t wait to find out who will be the finalists of FIA Rally Star!”

More details will be shared very soon!

WRC 9 will be available on September 3rd, 2020 on Xbox One, PS4™ and PC from the Epic Games Store, and a later date for Xbox Series X, PS5™ and Nintendo Switch.

The FIA Rally Star DLC will be available in December 2020 for PlayStation®4, Xbox One and EPIC Games Store for PC, PlayStation®5 and Xbox One Series X.

Standard and Deluxe Digital Editions of WRC 9, are currently available for pre-order on Xbox Live, PlayStation Store and EPIC Games Store for PC.

Official WRC 9 website:

https://wrcthegame.com/?utm_source=MASTER+LIST&utm_campaign=e562af0591-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_08_12_03_14_COPY_11&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1b25bcb113-e562af0591-92468575

About NACON

NACON is a company of the BIGBEN Group founded in 2019 to optimize its know-how through strong synergies in the video game market. By bringing together its 8 development studios, the publishing of AA video games, the design and distribution of premium gaming devices, NACON focuses 20 years of expertise at the service of players. This new unified business unit strengthens NACON’s position in the market and enables it to innovate by creating new unique competitive advantages. https://corporate.nacongaming.com/

About Kylotonn

Created in 2006, Kylotonn is one the most important French video game development studios, also known under KT Racing label. Specialized in motorsports and official developer of the WRC FIA World Rally Championship series and Isle of Man Tourist Trophy, the company is internationally recognized for its know-how and for the passion of its teams. With more than 110 employees as of today in Paris and Lyon, Kylotonn has developed more than 25 titles distributed by major publishers. Kylotonn has forged itself a strong technological expertise thanks to the real-time 3D engine KT Engine that the company owns. At the forefront of the video game industry, this technology is also used within R&D partnerships on autonomous vehicle projects in the automotive industry. Since 2018, NACON, one of Europe’s leading video game publishers, holds a 100% stake in the company. Kylotonn is member of the French National Developers Federation (Syndicat National du Jeu Vidéo) and Capital Games. The company is supported by BPI, IFCIC and the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation. For more information, visit www.kylotonn.com.

About WRC Promoter GmbH

WRC Promoter GmbH is responsible for all commercial aspects of the FIA World Rally Championship, including TV production and the marketing of global media and sponsorship rights. The Promoter also has responsibility to increase the field of participants and to propose the venues that form the FIA WRC calendar. The World Rally Championship is the FIA’s premium rally series. WRC showcases authentic motorsport, high performance cars and the world’s best drivers competing in dramatic surroundings ranging from the ice and snow of Scandinavia to the blistering heat of Mexico. Established in its current format in 1973, WRC participants battle for the drivers’ and manufacturers’ world titles at 13 rallies spanning 15 countries and six continents. Additional championship information can be found at www.wrc.com and www.wrcplus.com.

About FIA

The Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile is the governing body of world motor sport and the federation of the world’s leading motoring organisations. Founded in 1904, it brings together 240 national sporting and motoring organisations from more than 144 countries. In motor sport, it administers the rules and regulations for all international four-wheel sport, including the FIA Formula One World Championship and FIA World Rally Championship.

Source: Homerunner