Mercedes-Benz Driving Events can now be experienced in a video game for the first time. The new Project CARSTM 2 racing game enables players to demonstrate their skills on the official Driving Events winter training course in Sorsele in northern Sweden on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. This special training area, which actually lies on a frozen lake, is now replicated in every detail in Project CARS 2, so players can experience the challenges of the real tracks also virtually. The racing game was developed by globally operating Slightly Mad Studios and is being published, marketed and distributed by BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Group. Project CARS 2 will be released on the 22nd September 2017 for PlayStation 4 system, Xbox One, and PC.
The official winter training area for Mercedes-Benz Driving Events is located near the Arctic Circle. Perfect ice tracks designed by Formula 1 track architect Hermann Tilke stretch for more than 15 kilometres across a frozen lake in the locality of Sorsele. Year after year, this expertly prepared course offers participants the ideal terrain to train at the highest level in extreme winter conditions under the instruction of experienced professionals. This experience has now been transferred realistically to the Project CARS 2 racing game. As a result, gaming fans from all over the world are able to discover the winter experiences offered by Mercedes-Benz Driving Events at first hand – and at home! In addition to the training course on a frozen lake, Mercedes-Benz is represented in the game by a total of 13 different cars.
To simulate realistic vehicle handling and drifting on the extreme ice tracks for the players, the racing-game experts at Slightly Mad Studios spared no efforts in their close collaboration with Mercedes-Benz and the Driving Events team. Based on location visits, participation in trainings on ice & snow, data analytics, and discussions with the Driving Events instructors and drivers, the real course and track conditions were successfully transferred almost identically to the game thanks to the complex vehicle physics and audiovisual power of Project CARS 2.
This fusion of game and reality, of real and virtual handling, also comes to the fore in online clips and video features like this: https://youtu.be/nSLcHv1EEec being the central element in a Mercedes-Benz online co-promotion campaign in combination with other social media activities. For many years, the brand with the star has been a partner of the games industry, and its vehicles are represented in video games for consoles, PC and mobile. Gaming has become an essential part of Mercedes-Benz activities within the branded entertainment sector. Through games, a global audience of millions of young people who like cars discover the fascinating appeal of the Mercedes-Benz brand.
