Sim racing is about to get more interesting. Forza has just announced that the Chevrolet Corvette Stingray will be available in the game starting January 14, 2021 – this week – on its Forza Horizon 4 gaming platform.
The car, which was redesigned as part of a generational change for the 2020 model year, has been highly requested by Forza users, according to a release by Chevrolet. In the game, like it does in real life, the car will be powered by a naturally aspirated 6.2-liter V8 engine that produces 495 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque when equipped with a performance exhaust.
Chevrolet’s rollout of the Corvette Stingray started with a lot of fanfare in July 2019. Negotiations between the United Auto Workers (UAW) and General Motors caused production delays, which were followed by subsequent parts shortages and manpower issues related to COVID-19.
Chevrolet isn’t the only automaker getting in on the sim racing game. The Jaguar Vision Gran Turismo SV is bringing its 225 mph top-out speed to Gran Turismo Sport. It will be joining the Mazda RX-Vision GT3 and the Lamborghini Lambo V12 Vision GT in the game. Bugatti recently announced that the Bolide concept hypercar will be coming soon to CSR Racing 2.
Uniquely, Ford recently designed an entire esports car based on social media input. It all started in March when gamers were asked to vote on the package and features of the car on Twitter, including seating configuration, engine position and cockpit definition. Nearly a quarter of a million fan votes were submitted throughout the polling process. Designers of the project never met or worked together in person due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sim racing has gained popularity in the last year as more people are stuck at home during the COVID-19 pandemic and looking for outlets for entertainment and stress relief. Twitter recently reported a 57 percent increase in gaming-related tweets in 2020. In the U.K. alone Facebook reported a 50 percent increase in user gaming engagement during the year.
Forza Horizon 4 is a game for Xbox consoles and Microsoft Windows devices. It has over 12 million players.
