Nacon has reacquired the rights to publish games based on the FIA World Rally Championship, also known as WRC, following EA and Codemasters' decision to pause development on WRC racing games.
Previously known as Bigben Interactive, Nacon actually held the publishing rights to WRC games between 2013 and 2022, releasing a new WRC game almost every year over the course of that decade. Following the release of 2022's WRC Generations, EA obtained the rights to the WRC license and granted them to Codemasters, a racing game developer that EA had acquired years prior. EA and Codemasters went on to release EA Sports WRC in 2023. In April, EA and Codemasters announced that they would no longer develop WRC video games, resulting in several Codemasters developers being laid off.
In the wake of that announcement, Nacon decided to reobtain the development and publishing rights for WRC. It now holds the exclusive PC and console game and esports rights for WRC from 2027 to 2032. A press release confirms that Nacon will create "an all-new WRC game series, aiming to deliver an immersive experience that faithfully reflects the reality of the championship and meets the expectations of both rally enthusiasts and new players."
Nacon is also positioning these upcoming WRC games as a "reboot," so they won't be connected to the rally racing titles Nacon released before. They are set to feature official vehicles, drivers, teams, rallies, and sponsors, though. Nacon has not specified which of its studios will be working on these upcoming WRC games, but they were previously helmed by the studio behind Test Drive Unlimited: Solar Crown, Kylotonn.
It appears that there won't be any official WRC games released on PC or consoles in 2025 or 2026, but we can expect Nacon to start releasing them again in 2027.
Source
Previously known as Bigben Interactive, Nacon actually held the publishing rights to WRC games between 2013 and 2022, releasing a new WRC game almost every year over the course of that decade. Following the release of 2022's WRC Generations, EA obtained the rights to the WRC license and granted them to Codemasters, a racing game developer that EA had acquired years prior. EA and Codemasters went on to release EA Sports WRC in 2023. In April, EA and Codemasters announced that they would no longer develop WRC video games, resulting in several Codemasters developers being laid off.
In the wake of that announcement, Nacon decided to reobtain the development and publishing rights for WRC. It now holds the exclusive PC and console game and esports rights for WRC from 2027 to 2032. A press release confirms that Nacon will create "an all-new WRC game series, aiming to deliver an immersive experience that faithfully reflects the reality of the championship and meets the expectations of both rally enthusiasts and new players."
Nacon is also positioning these upcoming WRC games as a "reboot," so they won't be connected to the rally racing titles Nacon released before. They are set to feature official vehicles, drivers, teams, rallies, and sponsors, though. Nacon has not specified which of its studios will be working on these upcoming WRC games, but they were previously helmed by the studio behind Test Drive Unlimited: Solar Crown, Kylotonn.
It appears that there won't be any official WRC games released on PC or consoles in 2025 or 2026, but we can expect Nacon to start releasing them again in 2027.
Source