NASCAR Thunder 2003 Q&A
EA Sports is bringing back its NASCAR franchise to the PC in a big way. We sit down with the company's Ed Martin to get all the details.
Electronic Arts has always prided itself on being a publisher of quality driving games for the PC. With franchises like F1, The Need for Speed, and Sports Car GT, the company has given both casual and enthusiast driving fans an opportunity to rev their virtual engines in a wide spectrum of racing environments and scenarios. But one area where EA has consistently failed to impress has been in its NASCAR franchise. While NASCAR Thunder games for the video game consoles have done quite well in fulfilling their intended audience's need for a more arcadelike experience, the stringent PC crowd has had none of it, sticking instead with the likes of Papyrus' NASCAR Racing and Hasbro's NASCAR Heat properties. After putting its PC NASCAR games on hold for more than two years, EA is ready to make its comeback. For the first time, the company's Tiburon studio is handling the development of a PC NASCAR game, and from the looks of it, the forthcoming NASCAR Thunder 2003 could easily be EA's best PC NASCAR game in years. To find out more about this game, we sat down with the director of NASCAR production at EA Sports, Ed Martin.
GameSpot: This will be the first PC NASCAR game from EA Sports in more than two years. Why did Electronic Arts put its PC NASCAR franchise on hiatus for so long? Why come back now?
Ed Martin: Well, this is only the second year that the Tiburon studio is doing a NASCAR game. In that sense, it's not much of a lag. A PC NASCAR game has been in our plan at Tiburon since we took the franchise over.
The focus in the past, before Tiburon took over the franchise, had been pretty much to create an arcade-style experience for NASCAR. Early PC attempts were along those lines, though the fans on the PC platform really wanted a simulator-style game. With the advent of the next-gen consoles, EA dug into those and set PC aside for a while. NASCAR Thunder 2003 for the PC is all sim--it's a totally new direction from previous EA NASCAR games. It has a brand-new production studio (Tiburon) and a brand-new developer (Image Space). Image Space does EA's F1 PC titles, and they have great technology and a strong passion for racing.
GS: For many racing fans, thoughts of Revolution come to mind when they think of EA Sports and NASCAR. Do you feel that you have a lot to make up for with NASCAR Thunder 2003?
EM: Not to make excuses, but previous NASCAR PC products from EA were done at a totally different studio with a totally different developer and a totally different philosophy behind them. For NASCAR Thunder 2003, we're talking about Tiburon, Image Space, and a hard-core sim philosophy. And at the risk of tooting my own horn, I've been involved with NASCAR games since before the first one came out eight years ago. My only involvement with prior EA PC games was as a direct competitor.
GS: Papyrus, with its NASCAR Racing series, has always been viewed as the dominant developer of NASCAR games for the PC. Do you think you might have a hard time wooing longtime fans of Papyrus' series?
EM: I think the Papyrus fans will be a little skeptical at first. That's fine. I faced the same thing at Hasbro when we did NASCAR Heat. But, if you create a good product, even the skeptics will eventually give it a try.
GS: NASCAR Thunder 2003 will have around 60 drivers from the Winston Cup Series and the Busch Series. Are you adding any classic drivers like Richard Petty? Will you be able to drive in their original cars?
EM: We have about 10 "legend" drivers in the game this year, including Richard Petty, Cale Yarborough, Allen Kulwicki, and Bobby Allison. Their paint schemes are reminiscent of their classics, but we've licensed the drivers at this point--not all their sponsors and original car makes.
GS: The game will also have the classic Daytona Beach course. Will players get to drive the old '50s stock cars on this beach track, or will they be tearing up the sand with today's cars?
EM: They'll use the contemporary cars. Daytona Beach is a load of fun in a 750hp 2002 Monte Carlo!
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- Electronic Arts
- EA Tiburon
- Stock Car Racing
- Release: Oct 16, 2002
- ESRB: Everyone
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