OutRun Online Arcade revving up for release

Yu Suzuki may be entering the twilight of his career, but many of his most famous creations will doubtlessly endure for years to come. The latest example of this comes in the form of OutRun Online Arcade, Sega's downloadable entry into Suzuki's original Ferrari-obsessed arcade racing franchise.

Sega today announced that OutRun Online Arcade would launch on the Xbox Live Marketplace next Wednesday, April 15, with an asking price of 800 Microsoft points ($10). While the game is an Xbox 360-exclusive title in North America, it will also be arriving on the European PlayStation Network next Thursday.

Like the original, OutRun Online Arcade is a race through a variety of 15 US locales with branching routes. In keeping with the series' fixation on a specific brand of fast cars, OutRun Online Arcade also features a selection of 10 different Ferraris. As the game's name suggests, online multiplayer races will be included, with support for up to six players per match.

Sega's partnership with Sumo Digital has extended beyond the OutRun games. The publisher also enlisted the Sheffield-based studio to produce Virtua Tennis: World Tour on the PlayStation Portable and this year's multiplatform Sega Superstars Tennis.