C3 Exclusive Interview | Firebrand talks Race Driver (Nintendo DS), Wii Version, Trackmania & More

AR: First of all, were sales / personal expectations met for Race Driver: Create and Race?

Firebrand Games: In terms of personal expectations, yes we were very happy with the way Race Driver Create and Race came out. As a team we strived to create the best realistic racing experience possible on the DS and we were very happy that those who played and reviewed the game agreed we had done it. Naturally, you always want to do better commercially and we think Race Driver: GRID, with its evolution of our core strengths like the Track Designer is well placed to do so. We have perhaps learnt that the DS market looks for something that's more accessible, and that's partly due to the broad range of people playing DS and also the nature of portable play generally, in the sense that you wouldn't always sit down for long gaming sessions.

But for some developers, making something more accessible means you end up with a dumbed down game, which can be kind of patronising. We think there are smarter ways to open up a game to a wider audience yet remaining committed to making a great realistic race experience. So there are some physics and handling re-tuning but it's also things like including more visual aids to help navigation of tracks to make it a fairer race and exciting new content. We've also included a wide range of events suited for those five minutes here or there when players don't have time to take on a championship series. There's still serious racing in there, we keep the best things that made Race Driver: Create and Race such a great game and it's still a challenge as you progress, but Race Driver: GRID better equips players to enjoy the game and the style of the career mode will suit the strengths of the DS even better.

AR: Is GRID on DS set to launch alongside all the other versions simultaneously? And if so, do you feel that sharing the same name this time will be of benefit to sales, possibly thanks to stronger brand recognition?

Firebrand Games: Yes it's planned to be a simultaneous release with the other SKUs. And yes it will certainly benefit from the large marketing spend and promotion which will help with brand recognition on the DS and even more importantly with presence on the retailer shelves. But most importantly, it's neither a lazy port nor a rebadged game