Toca, rights holder of the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC), has terminated its licence with Motorsport Games.
Confirmed:
- Toca claims Motorsport Games was ‘unable to fulfill its contractual commitments’
- Decision made to ‘protect the reputation and intellectual property of the BTCC’
Context:
The original agreement commenced in May 2020, but Motorsport Games has suffered a tumultuous period since then. At the end of last year, four members of the board of directors stepped down amid US$8.5 million losses in Q3 2022, while the company recently cut around 38 jobs in the UK and Australia, as revealed by GamesIndustry.biz.
Comment:
A BTCC statement read: ‘It is with regret that Toca now advise that it has been forced to terminate that agreement forthwith, due to ongoing fundamental breaches of the agreement by Motorsport Games. Having been given sufficient latitude to rectify those contractual breaches, unfortunately Motorsport Games has failed to do so.’
Coming next:
Motorsport Games, which recently sold its exclusive simulation-style contract with Nascar to iRacing, will continue in its attempts to rebalance its portfolio following a difficult 18 months. Toca, meanwhile, will need to reassess its options if it is to be successful in bringing an officially licensed BTCC game to fans.