Lesquin, France, June 2nd, 2020 – NACON and its development studio KT Racing, in collaboration with WRC Promoter, are pleased to announce that TOYOTA GAZOO Racing will become the presenting sponsor of the 2020 and 2021 eSports WRC seasons.
The announcement celebrates the Japanese manufacturer’s recent unveiling of the all-new Toyota GR Yaris,
a pure performance car born from Toyota’s title-winning experience in
the World Rally Championship. Equipped with Toyota’s new GR-FOUR
intelligent all-wheel drive system and a thrilling 1.6-litre 3-cylinder
turbocharged engine delivering 261 DIN hp and 360 Nm of torque, the
all-new Toyota GR Yaris promises to be lightweight, powerful and
exhilarating – a fitting prize for the eSports WRC Champion!
The partnership between TOYOTA GAZOO Racing and NACON will extend into further promotions spanning WRC 8 as well as WRC 9, the latest installment of the official WRC game scheduled for release on 3 September 2020.
Since its kick-off last January during the Monte Carlo Rally, the 5th season of eSports WRC is in full swing, and has already brought together many competitors in WRC 8.
The competition’s fame hasn’t stopped growing, and has established it
as a reference, as much in the world of video games as that of
automobile racing. Each year, the organization and quality of the
challenges improve and are recognized by both the professionals and the
players.
Lebanese competitor Sami-Joe currently leads the 2020 eSports
Championship presented by Toyota Gazoo Racing. He claimed his second win
of the year last weekend at Rally Portugal, moving a point ahead of
2017 and 2019 champion Lohan ‘Nexl’ Blanc with four rounds remaining.
Both could qualify for the grand final with victory at Italy’s Rally
Sardinia next month. We will have to wait until the eSports WRC Grande
Finale next October though to name this exceptional season’s ultimate winner, who will be one of the first owners of the new and exciting Toyota GR Yaris.
This season, eSports WRC is already benefiting from the support of
famous partners such as Fanatec, BenQ, and PlaySeat, and it is with
great pride that the NACON and WRC Promoter teams welcome TOYOTA GAZOO Racing as the new presenting sponsor of the online championship.
“We’re very proud of the progress we’ve made since the creation of
eSports WRC, which has become inseparable from the development and work
performed all year long on the WRC video games.” said Benoît Clerc, NACON’s Head of Publishing.
“It has now become an unmissable event for every fan of off-road racing
games. Thanks to the support of Toyota, the 2020 year will benefit from
significant reinforcement, and we’re very impatient to continue
collectively expanding eSports WRC.”
Andrea Carlucci, Director of Product and Marketing Management of Toyota Motor Europe,
said: “We’re pleased to partner with eSports WRC to bring the
excitement of rallying to more fans around the world. As one of the
pillars of TOYOTA GAZOO Racing, e-motorsports is key for us to make
motorsport and sports cars more accessible to more people and to foster a
new generation of car lovers everywhere. With the growing interest in
eSports, and our increasing sports car offering, we’re looking forward
to working closely with our partners to bring our brand value and
exciting products closer to consumers and fans.”
WRC Promoter managing director Oliver Ciesla
highlighted the recent growth in eSports competition, particularly
fueled by the current enforced pause in global motorsport. “Since
physical events have been affected by recent circumstances, eSports is,
now more than ever, a way for our fans to experience the thrill of
motorsports competition even more intensely,” he said.
“The eSports WRC Championship has grown in stature over the last five
years to become one of motorsport’s leading virtual competitions. We’re
pleased to welcome the enthusiastic participation of Toyota Gazoo
Racing, a WRC manufacturer team, to the tournament“. Oliver Ciesla,
Managing Director at WRC Promoter.
WRC 8 is already available on PC, Xbox One, PS4™ and Nintendo Switch™.
Stay tuned for news and announcements on WRC 9, which
will be available on 3 September on PS4™, Xbox One and PC from the Epic
Game Store. A release date for Xbox Series X, PS5™ and Nintendo Switch
will be shared at a later date.
PRESS CONTACTSNACON – Clémence Bigeon – cbigeon@nacon.frHOMERUN PR – Chris Rosario – chris@homerunpr.com
About Nacon
NACON is a company of the BIGBEN Group founded in 2019 to optimize its
know-how through strong synergies in the video game market. By bringing
together its 8 development studios, the publishing of AA video games,
the design and distribution of premium gaming devices, NACON focuses 20
years of expertise at the service of players. This new unified business
unit strengthens NACON’s position in the market and enables it to
innovate by creating new unique competitive advantages. https://corporate.nacongaming.com/
About Kylotonn
Created in 2006, Kylotonn is one the most important French video game
development studios, also known under KT Racing label. Specialized in
motorsports and official developer of the WRC FIA World Rally
Championship series and Isle of Man Tourist Trophy, the company is
internationally recognized for its know-how and for the passion of its
teams. With more than 110 employees as of today in Paris and Lyon,
Kylotonn has developed more than 25 titles distributed by major
publishers. Kylotonn has forged itself a strong technological expertise
thanks to the real-time 3D engine KT Engine that the company owns. At
the forefront of the video game industry, this technology is also used
within R&D partnerships on autonomous vehicle projects in the
automotive industry. Since 2018, NACON, one of Europe’s leading video
game publishers, holds a 100% stake in the company. Kylotonn is member
of the French National Developers Federation (Syndicat National du Jeu
Vidéo) and Capital Games. The company is supported by BPI, IFCIC and the
Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation. For more
information, visit www.kylotonn.com.
About WRC Promoter GmbH
WRC Promoter GmbH is responsible for all commercial aspects of the FIA
World Rally Championship, including TV production and the marketing of
global media and sponsorship rights. The Promoter also has
responsibility to increase the field of participants and to propose the
venues that form the FIA WRC calendar.
The World Rally Championship is the FIA’s premium rally series. WRC
showcases authentic motorsport, high performance cars and the world’s
best drivers competing in dramatic surroundings ranging from the ice and
snow of Scandinavia to the blistering heat of Mexico. Established in
its current format in 1973, WRC participants battle for the drivers’ and
manufacturers’ world titles at 13 rallies spanning 15 countries and six
continents. Additional championship information can be found at www.wrc.com.
About TOYOTA GAZOO Racing
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing embodies Toyota’s commitment to overcoming every
limit to make ‘ever-better’ cars, to forge new technologies and
solutions under the extreme conditions of motorsports, and to never stop
innovating. TOYOTA GAZOO Racing races its cars to push the limits for
better and to learn from the toughest challenges. Competing on every
kind of road, no matter what the challenge, inspires TOYOTA GAZOO Racing
to build ‘ever-better’ cars and engineer Toyota’s future DNA to bring
freedom, adventure and joy of driving to everyone. For more information,
visit www.toyotagazooracing.com