Activision lays down Ferrari Challenge

Activision wants to take the pole position in the racing game genre, as evidenced by last year's purchase of Project Gotham studio Bizarre Creations and last week's announcement of the offroading Baja 1000. Today the publisher pulled another car into the garage, confirming that it has secured North American distribution rights for Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli.

Previously set for European release by System 3, Ferrari Challenge will find its way to domestic stores on the PlayStation 3, Wii, PlayStation 2, and Nintendo DS. The sim-minded racer will include season and endurance modes, as well as more than 15 circuits. The PlayStation 3 edition of the game also supports online matches for up to 16 players, and Activision is promising a continuous stream of downloadable content over the PlayStation Network, including new cars, tracks, customization options, and updates to team and car rosters.

This is not the first time the Ferrari has been featured in games, as Sega devoted an entire game to just one model of the Italian sports car with the arcade, Dreamcast, and PlayStation 2 sim Ferrari F355 Challenge. Ferraris have also played prominent roles in Sega's OutRun series of arcade-style racers, and have appeared in a variety of other racers including Project Gotham Racing 4, Forza Motorsport 2, and Gran Turismo 5 Prologue.