Going into this season, NASCAR announced a series of rule changes to make races more exciting and competitive. These changes included freer-flowing restrictor plates, the return of bump-drafting and the return of the spoiler rather than the detached rear wing. These things appeared to be done in response to lower television ratings and attendance figures.

While NASCAR responded quickly to make changes to try and reaffirm NASCAR’s place in the American sports’ marketplace, the same cannot be said about their handling of their video game licenses. I say that because Electronic Arts’ exclusive deal with NASCAR is over and yet no NASCAR games are being released this year. In other words, the future of NASCAR games basically leads to a mess of questions.

EA’s NASCAR

While EA’s NASCAR series has always been inconsistent, it did eek out a few gems though the years. The inaugural installment on the current generation of consoles was poorly received as a bare bones, half-finished game. However, EA seemed to immediately right the ship with NASCAR 09. The game offered a ton of features, and most importantly, a good degree of customization to allow you to either jump in and race or really be challenged by a hardcore simulation.

However, with no NASCAR 10 coming out and the series on a hiatus, it looks as if EA will not be building on the progress it made the previous year. Perhaps a year off will be good for the series, but if it does not come back at all, that would be a bad thing for gamers.

Other Series

The positive thing about EA not renewing their exclusive contract is that other developers can take a stab at the license. Perhaps we will see some old franchises pop up, like Monster Games’ NASCAR Heat or another NASCAR: Dirt to Daytona. Both games were innovative and fun, and for the most part, preferred over the EA games.

However, the return of those games is wishful thinking since nothing has been announced. The one development studio that has the NASCAR license is Polyphony Digital, the studio behind Gran Turismo 5. Recently, the developers released a video showing off the NASCAR portion of the game. It looked gorgeous and Polyphony seems to be taking the license seriously.

However, the things we do not know about NASCAR’s inclusion far outweigh what we do know. No one knows how many tracks or drivers are in the game, or if there will 42-car fields or if there will be any championship season involved. It remains to be seen if GT5 will be able to satisfy NASCAR gamers, and, even it can, Xbox 360 gamers will be left out in the cold since GT5 will be a PS3 exclusive.

Possibilities

I have been thinking that NASCAR might need a new approach. Perhaps it would be better to not release a game every year, which would obviously be a departure from the norm. Instead, perhaps one massive game every few years would be better -- one which would be frequently updated and supported post-release. Think of how Forza 3 has been operated, but then put a NASCAR filter on the game. Imagine a game that included all the various types of series in the NASCAR world. The initial game would serve as the springboard and then maybe additional tracks or paint schemes would be made available via downloadable content.

I am not sure if this method would work or not because licensing issues might make a game like this too expensive and difficult to make profitable. However, it would be tremendous for the fans, and would be a bold move if some development studio steps up to the plate and tries to go this route.

Bring It Back

The future of NASCAR video games is impossible to predict. With not much information to go on, everything said about the future is speculation. But, I think it is safe to assume that the sport will not be without its own game for long. NASCAR is firmly entrenched as one of the most popular sports in America. Its fan base is too big for no one to snap up the license and try to make money.

If that means EA comes to terms with NASCAR and snags the exclusive license again, so be it. Notwithstanding, I think this might be a good opportunity for the people who control the NASCAR license to rethink their approach by having competing yearly games or maybe moving away from the annual release schedule altogether. Looking at the big picture, what happens with the NASCAR license could influence the sports video game universe. If NASCAR moves away from exclusivity and annual releases and succeeds, maybe other leagues and developers will look to do the same.