Codemasters pit-crewing for Fuel

Race-enthused publisher picks up rights to Asobo Studios' wrecked-ecosystem, open-world racer for 360, PS3, PC in Q2 2009.

Racers are a thing that Codemasters knows well. In addition to Grid, nee Race Driver One, and Dirt, formerly Colin McRae Racing, the publisher gobbled up Sega Racing Studio in April and landed the F1 license in May. Whereas the aforementioned driving games deal primarily with the present-day real world, Codemasters' newest racer will run with a Mad Max-style postapocalyptic theme.

The beach house seemed like a good buy at the time...

Today, the publisher announced that it had picked up the rights to publish Bordeaux, France-based Asobo Studios' Fuel. The game presents a (mostly) alternate world in which climate change has wreaked havoc on the Earth's ecosystem, making fuel scarce and giving rise to myriad ongoing natural disasters. From the cataclysm arises a rugged band of racers that travel the globe, competing in extreme racing competitions for the grand prize of more fuel.

Nature's vengeance aside, Codemasters hopes that the game's sheer sense of scale will help distinguish it. The publisher promises a free-roaming driving experience in which players can explore more than 5,000 square miles of terrain. More than just open expanses, Fuel will feature a variety of volatile environments that include the "tsunami-wrecked Pacific coast through the Nevada wastelands...treacherous snow-capped mountains, thick forests, arid deserts, abandoned lakeside resorts, and much more."

Hoping to bring these environments to life, Codemasters also touts the game's dynamic weather system, which will include transitions between night and day, intense sunshine, and deluges of rain, as well as destructive elemental forces such as tornados, sandstorms, thunderstorms, lightning strikes, and blizzards. The game will also feature an online multiplayer component that will pack "hundreds" of challenges.

Fuel is due out for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Games for Windows Live in the second quarter of 2009. Check out GameSpot's newly published first look at the game from this year's Games Convention in Leipzig, Germany.

32 Comments

  • Kris024

    Posted Apr 30, 2009 7:11 pm PT

    This sounds stupid. Futuristic climate changed world in which the prize for winning a race is fuel. If that is the prize then what are the cars running on in the first place.

  • ZJM9

    Posted Nov 23, 2008 2:36 pm PT

    DiRT and GRID are pretty much my two favorite racing games so I'm definately looking forward to fuel, especially if it runs off the same engine as those two (obviously it'll have to be revised a bit because of ATVs but i'm not complaining about it). And who can disagree with open-world? You know, I thought i needed a PS3 and play Motorstorm, but Fuel is going to blow Motorstorm so far out of the water it wont be funny...

  • Ghaz013

    Posted Aug 23, 2008 11:59 am PT

    Considering Codemasters just jumped on the 'lets sue everyone who pirates' bandwagon, I think I'll stay away from them.

    And before I get bashed, I don't pirate and am only going to be purchasing DOW2 and Stalker Clear Sky

  • Gamespock

    Posted Aug 20, 2008 10:32 am PT

    "'Fuel' will allow players to take control of Al Gore's limo and race it through the wastelands of Boston, Berkeley, and Greenwich Village in search of the world's only remaining cocktail party."

  • ctburesch

    Posted Aug 20, 2008 9:02 am PT

    Some gamers are just boring gamers. This game sounds really good and is taking steps in directions that racing games have not taken. They are adding an interesting element to the racing genre and it can possibly happen to the world in the next 20- 30 years.

  • hermez

    Posted Aug 20, 2008 8:20 am PT

    WOW, this seems something I want to have in my personal library

  • neonknight47

    Posted Aug 20, 2008 7:16 am PT

    This sounds like the game Motorstorm dreams of becoming.

  • xraystar

    Posted Aug 20, 2008 6:16 am PT

    lame? i think not. great call codemaster, bring more life into the racing genre.

  • Avenger1324

    Posted Aug 20, 2008 2:55 am PT

    Racing to win fuel? Sounds lame

    Are Codemasters finally going to join the rest of the competition by allowing you to upgrade your cars? If fuel is the prize, rather than money, then we probably wont be getting upgradable vehicles

  • kweeni

    Posted Aug 20, 2008 2:15 am PT

    sound really cool, high hopes!
    btw does windows live mean you have to pay to play online and stuff like that? u kno like halo 2? if so then damn, guess i'll have to wait for this game till i get a ps3 :-(

  • sim_dude

    Posted Aug 19, 2008 10:55 pm PT

    Too bad it's gonna be for Windows Live, I don't have an internet connection on my "big gun" and I won't be able to play it on my laptop. This game sounds like fun, I wish they would make it available to people without internet too. That's why I'm buying the games on retail discs and not online. This sucks !

  • Foolio1

    Posted Aug 19, 2008 10:35 pm PT

    Sounds neat. Can't wait to see more. I love DiRT and GRID and although this isn't exactly the same thing, I've loved all they've done this generation so I can't help but be interested.

  • Zetona

    Posted Aug 19, 2008 9:03 pm PT

    5,000 square miles? Is that even possible? Far Cry 2 and Fallout 3 have at most 25 square miles.

  • GreggD

    Posted Aug 19, 2008 6:52 pm PT

    @loominator: Not a fan of The Road Warrior, eh?

  • SrTVBR

    Posted Aug 19, 2008 6:51 pm PT

    Can´t wait to play it! Will be so fun this game!

  • KevComesRipping

    Posted Aug 19, 2008 4:11 pm PT

    Dirt, Grid, Pure, now Fuel. They're gonna run out of names for racers soon.

  • Galius7

    Posted Aug 19, 2008 3:57 pm PT

    Google Fuel Xbox. There was a game that had been in development for the original xbox, wonder if this is the same one.

  • thug_angel123

    Posted Aug 19, 2008 3:46 pm PT

    codemasters after a long time has started a trend in racing games which again is proving out to be strong...

  • chevalidieu

    Posted Aug 19, 2008 3:35 pm PT

    this game does sound pretty sweet

    @scott624 : nascar sucks...since when is going around in a circle for 500 laps any fun? everyone knows that the best form of car racing is rally, F1 and le mans touring series!

  • loominator

    Posted Aug 19, 2008 3:31 pm PT

    what a lame plot.. Why would anyone, even in alternative universe, spend loads of what is scarce, in order to win it? The game sounds good, the mechanics, places etc.. but the plot, is near idiotic.

  • loominator

    Posted Aug 19, 2008 3:31 pm PT

    what a lame plot.. Why would anyone, even in alternative universe, spend loads of what is scarce, in order to win it? The game sounds good, the mechanics, places etc.. but the plot, is near idiotic.

  • icytower38 Site moderator

    Posted Aug 19, 2008 2:57 pm PT

    Sounds like an interesting game. "puts on tracked list".

    @ scott624: Could not agree more. Of course I don't really care (or think it will ever happen) who takes that away from EA, but codemasters would be a good one.

  • Stealth-S-117

    Posted Aug 19, 2008 2:40 pm PT

    Wicked! Sounds like everything i thought the first motorstorm would be.

  • ColdfireTrilogy

    Posted Aug 19, 2008 2:24 pm PT

    woah .... Dirt and Grid were great ... this could be amazing as well

  • ColdfireTrilogy

    Posted Aug 19, 2008 2:24 pm PT

    woah .... Dirt and Grid were great ... this could be amazing as well

  • childe_roland

    Posted Aug 19, 2008 2:18 pm PT

    Codemasters getting the publishing rights to this is amazing news, gonna be fantastic.

  • konradak

    Posted Aug 19, 2008 1:59 pm PT

    All I hope is it delivers on its ideas, and the racing itself is fun. If so, I'll deff be keeping my eyes on this one

  • DarknessLion

    Posted Aug 19, 2008 1:47 pm PT

    This looks like my kind of game and since Codemasters has it I cant wait! And I was waiting for a sort of free roaming game from them. Ill look for this...

  • DarknessLion

    Posted Aug 19, 2008 1:47 pm PT

    This looks like my kind of game and since Codemasters has it I cant wait! And I was waiting for a sort of free roaming game from them. Ill look for this...

  • scott624

    Posted Aug 19, 2008 1:29 pm PT

    When are the going to land the NASCAR license. That series need an overhual!

  • combatsoldier

    Posted Aug 19, 2008 1:01 pm PT

    very cool indeed. Fuel is a very interesting title I look forward to its future indeavers.

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