Tuesday, clamoune and I had the opportunity to spend the day at the Kylotonn (KT) studio in Paris, following an invitation sent out on the occasion of the upcoming start of WRC Generations. No doubt with the decoration, we are in the right place:
The visit began with a presentation. Finally, for us, this was the conclusion of the day because we arrived late. Indeed, the capital is three hundred kilometers from our home, and we couldn't leave our son in front of the school at 6:00 in the morning to arrive at 10:00.
KT has been working on the WRC license since 2015 and Generations will be the last, with the license having been picked up by Codemasters/EA for the next few years. The end of a beautiful story that is part of the passion of its leaders. The studio was founded in 2006 by Roman Vincent, who cut his teeth with 4X Studio, which specializes in FPS. In 2014, the arrival of Alain Jarniou, a veteran of racing games as creative director, anchored KT's desire to specialize in their common passion: motorsport.
The studio is growing little by little, from sixty people in 2015 to 180 today, with offices in Paris and Lyon. About fifty people are dedicated to WRC, the others being shared between the studio's various projects. There are also great stories, like that of Lohan Blanc, a young man who discovered a passion for eSports at the launch of WRC 5 and thus won four world championship titles… out of the seven that were organised. A remarkable track record for this virtual competition which was the first to be organized on the sidelines of an official FIA competition.
Working on WRC provided the studio with extraordinary expertise which crystallized around the development of an internal game engine. The KT Engine provides graphic rendering, but also the physical simulation of vehicles and environments. Constantly improved thanks to feedback from players, media and experts. Of the seven WRC games, two motorcycle games, and even two games made by external studios.
A turning point was made with WRC 8, which brought many new features, which were then enriched and improved on opus 9 and 10. Generation is the pinnacle. The Graal ! The racing game has become so realistic that it is used in research & development. A version from WRC 9 has also been used by the FIA to scout for future talent in the real WRC championships. The seven best players selected will be offered a year of development paid for by the FIA, with the key to four seats in WRC Junior for the best.
Sebastien Loeb, rally champion who needs no introduction, tested WRC 10. He can only see the considerable improvements that have been made by the studio to get closer to the real feeling. The pilot had tested an old version of the game, and he complained of going off the road. While he is doing quite well in reality! Now, the feeling is so close to what he knows that he managed, without training, to get closer to the times of eSport champion, Lohan Blanc.
Among the features mentioned during the presentation, the weather, which is transcribed visually, but also physically. The choice of tires is very important. Especially since since WRC 8, the weather can change during a race. Choosing the right rubber can mean the difference between victory and defeat. Convincing builders and developers to allow liveries to be customized was no easy task. The concept is finally coming to life in WRC 10, with over 125 player-created liveries. Generation goes beyond by offering the possibility of sharing its creations.
You would have understood it. Generations is the culmination of seven years of constant improvements, for an opus which promises to be the best of the series: more vehicles, more stages, more countries, more functionalities, an improved engine (physics, graphics …), cross-play, new hybrid cars... The rendering of the bodywork is finer (with better light reflection), the physics is better simulated (even for elements that will not always be spotted by the players). KT has even thought about implementing a league system which should allow the game to be long-lasting even if the studio will be limited in terms of DLC and content that it can offer from 2023.
The game will be released on November 3, on Xbox, PlayStation and PC, with guaranteed crossplay for all asynchronous game modes, with guaranteed equal odds, regardless of the platform chosen. A Switch version will be released in December, also with the leagues (but an independent ranking).
Note that this ending WRC era does not mean the end of KT. Quite the contrary. Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown is in development. An open-world racing game that takes up the concepts of the license, a show and the confrontation of two clans engaged in the collection of luxury cars. Sharps with refined English luxury, facing the streets, bling bling and ostentatious. A second project is also in development, on which a good part of the WRC teams are already working. We don't know, except that it will be a racing game. However, I have good presumptions that it could remain rallying… To be continued!
Soon, you will find other articles of this day, with the report of interviews...
