EA: 'No plans' for new NASCAR game

Peter Moore confirms racing series taking extended pit stop, members of development team shifted over to EA Sports MMA.

The future of EA Sports' NASCAR franchise of racing games has been in doubt since February, when The Sporting News reported the publisher wouldn't be making a new installment of the series this year. Speaking with GameSpot for a Dreamcast retrospective on next week's episode of the HotSpot podcast, EA Sports president Peter Moore has removed all uncertainty from the equation.

For the time being, NASCAR is squarely in EA Sports' rear-view mirror.

"There are no plans right now for NASCAR from EA," Moore said. "We had a great relationship over the years that I thoroughly enjoyed when I first got here. Unfortunately…we had to make some tough trade-offs. We've had to redeploy some of those folks. A number of the NASCAR team has moved over now to EA Sports MMA, which will be shipping next year. [We're] still a huge fan of NASCAR, but no plans right now to develop any further games for NASCAR from EA Sports."

The last NASCAR release from EA Sports was February's NASCAR Kart Racing for the Wii. Although the EA Sports label no longer has a racing product, Electronic Arts is still hoping to fulfill gamers' yen for momentum with appropriately titled upcoming games like Need for Speed: Shift and Need for Speed: Nitro. The next game to feature NASCAR content will be Gran Turismo 5, which features several licensed tracks.

153 Comments

  • Kirbichu

    Posted Sep 7, 2009 8:21 am PT

    This was a good move on EA's part. If you look at all Nascar games post '06 (minus Kart Racing of course), changes between games other than the roster are little to none. They don't want people to waste money on a game they pretty much already have. Also, this increases the hype for GT5, being the new premier Nascar game.

  • MaddenBowler10

    Posted Sep 7, 2009 12:25 am PT

    in other words: "Nascar is a boring sport and no one buys these games anyway"

  • TheMassEffect

    Posted Sep 5, 2009 10:14 am PT

    The last good Nascar game I remember playing was Nascar Rumble, which I thought was awesome. Nascar Thunder 2003 wasn't that bad either.

  • hyperkass

    Posted Sep 5, 2009 7:51 am PT

    so boring and repetitive..

  • NuKkU

    Posted Sep 4, 2009 3:59 pm PT

    yea nascar games are as boring as the sport itself(it shouldnt even be called a sport no physical attributes are involved when doing it)

  • ps3gamer1234

    Posted Sep 4, 2009 2:13 pm PT

    Just get gt 5.

  • beel-kun

    Posted Sep 4, 2009 12:14 pm PT

    That's better I hate Nascar games, Sucks big time & has no real feeling to the speed.

    Watching Nascar in real life is so much better than this crap.

  • Xesphere

    Posted Sep 4, 2009 9:30 am PT

    Let's make it clear. Does real life Nascar sucks? Hell, no!!! Does Nascar games sucks? Hell, yeah!! End of the story.

  • st017

    Posted Sep 4, 2009 1:17 am PT

    All of the console Nascar games have always sucked to me. I had Nascar 1 or Nascar 2 for the pc many many years ago. That was by far the best Nascar game I've ever played.

  • Mr_Manikin52

    Posted Sep 3, 2009 5:33 pm PT

    Australian v8 supercars is where it's at, brother!

  • Red122

    Posted Sep 3, 2009 1:48 pm PT

    I quit playing Nascar games along time ago same with the Madden games they just get to repetitive its a shame EA doesn't just sell the rights to someone else. It don't affect me much but sorry to the fans that enjoyed it that is just how EA and Peter Moore does.

  • GETAGIRLFRIEND posted Sep 3, 2009 12:57 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    GETAGIRLFRIEND

    Posted Sep 3, 2009 12:57 pm PT (hide)

    i have a new idea for nascar: relay nascar. startling ling starts off, cars turn keep turning left, finish the lap, then team mates would be in the opposite direction starting off and turning right, finishing the lap. no pause what's so ever, same track. that would be fun to watch. and after when all the red necks are inside each other's engines, fans can start participating. i call that fun and getting rid of stupid people.

  • GETAGIRLFRIEND

    Posted Sep 3, 2009 12:48 pm PT

    no more going around in circles?

  • mr3bdulla

    Posted Sep 3, 2009 10:53 am PT

    who need nascar if u have f1

  • Auricom-R

    Posted Sep 3, 2009 10:32 am PT

    Daytona USA on xbla and psn. The time is now Sega

  • japanesegoth

    Posted Sep 3, 2009 9:46 am PT

    there's really no need to make a new nascar game every year. it will get old fast cause there aren't that many tracks. maybe if they also put in indy racing but that would take a lot more work...i'm sure they can figure something out by the next nascar game.

  • SmashingX

    Posted Sep 2, 2009 8:50 pm PT

    i'm glad GT5 has nascar in it but there are probably more people playing nascar on 360 than ps3, the 360 install base needs nascar too

  • gobbo00

    Posted Sep 2, 2009 7:44 pm PT

    NASCAR is a **** motorspot anyway oval racing.... utter pap in my eyes.

  • MountaineerWR27

    Posted Sep 2, 2009 6:47 pm PT

    I think EA sucks at making NASCAR games anyway. I would love to see Codemasters or turn 10 get a hold of it and see what they can do, because I'm a huge fan of the Dirt series and Grid for Codemasters and who isn't a fan of the Forza series by Turn 10?

  • Cwagmire21 posted Sep 2, 2009 6:42 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    Cwagmire21

    Posted Sep 2, 2009 6:42 pm PT (hide)

    I got tired of racing games after Cruisin' USA.

  • PvtGump8

    Posted Sep 2, 2009 6:42 pm PT

    no biggie...GT5 will have NASCAR.

  • Sentortp

    Posted Sep 2, 2009 3:53 pm PT

    so?

  • JERMINITIS

    Posted Sep 2, 2009 2:52 pm PT

    I have really enjoyed NASCAR 09. Yet, I see that there's very little to improve upon as far as making the game better, because it eventually becomes the same game over and over.

  • a5h7on posted Sep 2, 2009 2:08 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    a5h7on

    Posted Sep 2, 2009 2:08 pm PT (hide)

    GT5 > every other Racer

  • Lay5354

    Posted Sep 2, 2009 1:44 pm PT

    This should have happened after their first or second game. Maybe not the first, because they may have fooled some.

  • MrCha1nsaw

    Posted Sep 2, 2009 1:40 pm PT

    I just think that they think that a new Nascar game would just tank because of all the other, better, racing games out right now.

  • Avenger1324

    Posted Sep 2, 2009 1:40 pm PT

    EA continues to dumb down its line up of racing games. NFS has all but been killed off, NASCAR pretty much cancelled, no plans for another Burnout for a couple of years.

    Looks like it is now up to Codemasters to appease the racing fans - GRID, DiRT and soon to be F1 franchise

  • Xiosis

    Posted Sep 2, 2009 1:29 pm PT

    This isn't a surprise if you've seen the last Gran Turismo trailer. In the trailer they show stock cars racing around Daytona (or Talladega) with NASCAR logos all over the place, EA wouldn't have aloud Polyphony Digital to show anything with NASCAR on it without some type of partnership or passing the rights over to them.

  • tony382

    Posted Sep 2, 2009 12:33 pm PT

    Not a big deal. I still play NASCAR Racing 2003 Season on the PC. There's over a ton of mods for it, and it's the best in the Nascar series.

  • TheRabbit22

    Posted Sep 2, 2009 12:26 pm PT

    it's about time they stop making this boring poor excuse of a sport into a game that you do nothing in...a waste of time and money now saved

  • bubnux

    Posted Sep 2, 2009 12:25 pm PT

    There's noone in EA's line-up that can compete w/ Polyphony anyways, why bother.

  • wolvklaw

    Posted Sep 2, 2009 12:21 pm PT

    I would love a good Nascar game, I just think EA sucks at making them. No heart in it, seems like they just went to make something that had "Nascar" in the name, not actually trying to make a good game. Sad.

  • MadGamer132

    Posted Sep 2, 2009 12:07 pm PT

    i'll play gt5 and most people want monster games to make a nascar game, i dare them.

  • NinjaMunkey01

    Posted Sep 2, 2009 11:55 am PT

    Its not too much of a problem tbh...

    Forza 3 will include 1 NASCAR vehicle which you can customise to whatever team you want.

    And if you want something with a little more of NASCAR GT5 is boasting official licensing.

  • Megavideogamer

    Posted Sep 2, 2009 11:32 am PT

    Aw... No new Nascar game from EA for 2010. I don't really think any gamers will miss not having another Nascar game made by EA. Actaully I did play Nascar 2003 by EA. The game was O.K It wasn't great. But playable.

    However maybe EA can think of some new ideas for making games? Aw.. come on EA you can at least try?

  • not_guilty_84

    Posted Sep 2, 2009 11:31 am PT

    thats ridiculous that people assume nascar is just driving in circles, why dont you try driving 150-190mph and seeing how you feel? and for the gaming side of nascar i love it, i mean i think they could really add alot into it to make it way better and more fun but all in all its still a stepping stone. maybe they will inhibit the new NFS engines into nascar!!!

  • VolcanoMan001

    Posted Sep 2, 2009 11:28 am PT

    From NASCAR to MMA... that sounds like an obvious jump. NOT. It sounds like we will be seeing a "NASCAR 2K11" in the future.

  • grungeman91

    Posted Sep 2, 2009 11:26 am PT

    I still say the last good console Nascar game I've played was 2000 and Chase For The Cup also an honorable mention goes out to Nascar Racing 4 on the PC...I still have fun with it

  • oneligas posted Sep 2, 2009 11:23 am PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    oneligas

    Posted Sep 2, 2009 11:23 am PT (hide)

    OH No! Now i can get a new left turn simulator and the redneck/hillbilly community is going to be on suicide watch until another good old boy drives into a wall at 200Mph.

  • Cobalt_Strike

    Posted Sep 2, 2009 11:01 am PT

    Expo_Smacko, A lot of people and that's not even including the sim community.

  • DP1130

    Posted Sep 2, 2009 10:30 am PT

    @jsnowbordr47: I totally agree. I'm not a Nascar fan in any way shape or form, but I do know, Nascar has had a huge influence in the car build and desighn industry. If it wasn't for nascar the cars we drive today would prolly be 20 years behind what they are now. Driving in circles is the by product of what the sport is really about. People are to quick now adays to slam something or mock. These are individuals who cant even handle thier car at 50mph. I'm glad to see EA finally lose. I want sports titles from other companies, artists, and designers. Maybe this is the start.

  • SicklySunStorm

    Posted Sep 2, 2009 10:19 am PT

    Good. Every NASCAR game I've ever played has been w*nkenstein, and I love the sport - well, what I can catch of it here in the UK. How they can't make a decent game from such an exciting racing sport is beyond me...

    It's a ridiculous debate comparing F1 to NASCAR... it's like comparing Boxing to Wrestling because they both take place in a ring. There is undoubtedly more skill involved in terms of finding racing line and pure speed in F1, as well as far more technical prowess in the car development, but F1 cannot compete with NASCAR for it's sheer excitement... I mean come on, you can get a change in race leader several times in a single lap in NASCAR, whereas in F1, only an incident happening to the front runners stops it from being a foregone conclusion with the driver on pole almost always guaranteeing a win. For me, F1 is my absolute favourite sport, but for F1 fans to mock NASCAR, you must be daft. Juan Pablo Montoya says it all - he finds NASCAR far more exciting for the overtaking. F1 is for racing techno-geeks, NASCAR is for beer swilling, v8-powered racing yahoos... and I love both

  • jsnowbordr47

    Posted Sep 2, 2009 10:07 am PT

    Well, EA hasn't made a really good NASCAR game since 2005's Chase for the Cup. That was the last good NASCAR game out of EA. The license needs to go somewhere else, where they can do the sport justice.

    Now regarding NASCAR itself. Yeah don't mock the sport if you don't understand it. There's so much more involved then just driving in circles. As for comparing it to the other racing series, it's tops in my book. I used to watch F1, but it's just too boring. F1 is just single file racing with little passing except during pit stops. NASCAR is so much more exciting and requires just as much skill as F1. Remember, F1 Drivers are driving vehicles designed to be the fastest and best handling in the world. From what I've seen over the years F1 has become more about the machines rather than the drivers actual skill. On any raceday in F1, only about 3-5 drivers realistically have a chance to win.

    With NASCAR you have drivers essentially driving boxes with wheels around a track at 180+mph or around road course at 140+mph. At times being within 3 inches of one another without hitting. Now that's skill. And there's so much science involved with NASCAR, it's an engineers dream. And thanks to the Car of Tomorrow, it's really become a race between drivers rather than a race between manufacturers. Not to mention every race everyone in the field has a realistic chance of winning.

  • BenCrazy24

    Posted Sep 2, 2009 9:59 am PT

    Boring article, it is hard for EA to make a NASCAR game if the makers of Grand Turismo have the license. And to comments below, yes people buy NASCAR games, they have more fans than any other sport in the US which means a lot of people buying racing games. Grand Turismo was smart in that they combined many types of racing all in one and that is why their racing games sell, also their graphics kick any games a$$.

  • BenCrazy24

    Posted Sep 2, 2009 9:58 am PT

    Boring article, it is hard for EA to make a NASCAR game if the makers of Grand Turismo have the license. And to comments below, yes people buy NASCAR games, they have more fans than any other sport in the US which means a lot of people buying racing games. Grand Turismo was smart in that they combined many types of racing all in one and that is why their racing games sell, also their graphics kick any games a$$.

  • rabidjack posted Sep 2, 2009 9:56 am PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    rabidjack

    Posted Sep 2, 2009 9:56 am PT (hide)

    isnt nascar just driving round in circles?

  • jjdomo posted Sep 2, 2009 9:53 am PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    jjdomo

    Posted Sep 2, 2009 9:53 am PT (hide)

    obviously the game must not sell well or turn a big enough profit. otherwise, there would be no reason to drop the product line.

    frankly, i just don't know that nascar-style racing translates very well into a video game . . . nothing wrong with the sport itself, but not everything is cut out to be a good video game.

  • Boostd4 posted Sep 2, 2009 9:48 am PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    Boostd4

    Posted Sep 2, 2009 9:48 am PT (hide)

    To each his own...I personally think NASCAR is as boring as watching paint dry...but if you like it then so be it.

    Rolex, Le Mans, Champ Car, British Touring Car, F1, WRC, etc. are my preferences. Sure, there is definitely some level of skill involved in NASCAR...otherwise ANYONE would be out there. But the bottom line is that it's simply a bunch of guys going in circles waiting to crash.

  • Decrate posted Sep 2, 2009 9:38 am PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    Decrate

    Posted Sep 2, 2009 9:38 am PT (hide)

    i dont know a single gamer who plays nascar

    so this isnt suprising

  • Expo_Smacko posted Sep 2, 2009 9:30 am PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    Expo_Smacko

    Posted Sep 2, 2009 9:30 am PT (hide)

    Who seriously plays NASCAR games anyway?

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