Porsche and EA Exclusivity License Set To Finally Crash and Burn

Porsche License To Be Set Free

Hallelujah and it’s about damn time! Porsche is no longer going to be stuck to EA!!

Okay that isn’t entirely fair as the license has been seen on other titles via sub-licensing and other side agreements, but, it is a fact that for tooo bloody long if you’ve wanted to enjoy a Porsche in your racing game, then that game would more than likely need to be a Need for Speed.

Thankfully we had RUF to take up the empty space that Porsche would have sat in within many a racing game like Gran Turismo, PGR and others. But, it always seemed insane to me how underused and almost forgotten Porsche was in every EA title that used it.

Sure in the earlier days you had gems like NFS Porsche Unleashed but after that it seemed to be more about only including a select few from the famous marque in their future releases and mobile games, even to the point where it essentially felt like they were lauding the fact they had it over others.

Now though, Porsche has seen the light. (or the person making the decision decided after putting down their controller in disgust many moons ago, to make it their ambition to get the relevant qualifications, join Porsche, become the person in charge of branding and close the door on the exclusive deal once and for all!)

As through an interview on german site Speedmaniacs where at a recent event they met up with people from both Assetto Corsa developers Kunos Simulazioni and Porsche, we learn that Porsche are ready to seek roads new as they will end the exclusive agreement with EA by letting it run out at the end of this year.

Has the partnership with Assetto Corsa made them see that their brand is worth something in the virtual space? After all, players today could be owners tomorrow and there is a huge amount of people out there who cannot afford the real thing but would still very much like to drive a Porsche in their games.

You could also imagine that the whole ‘Holy Trinity’ of hypercars ideal, with the LaFerrari, P1 and Porsche’s own 918 Spyder might have shown that there is something to giving people the ability to recreate what they have seen on TV, YouTube and such. Many folk after all, will jump on their favourite game after a race or try to recreate that scene they just watched, and with the immediacy of social media and virals, it makes sense to take complete advantage of that.

Nowadays it’s more about viewability than anything else, and so having your brand out there for many to see and experience is better than being enclosed into something that actually can lay detriment because of how it is used.

Exclusivity is a horrible thing, I hate them all. Only console warriors or PC masters would appreciate having something the others don’t but what is the point in that really?

I cannot wait to see Porsche in more titles along with more from the Porsche stable. Not just the usual sort but the lesser known and the still equally incredible; Assetto Corsa is already doing this and it is great to see.

It is time to let the garage doors open and to flood the virtual track and streets with all that have sported a Porsche badge!

[via Speedmaniacs] (German) :: [image credit: The Car Spy]