Milestone and Dorna Sports S.L. have announced MotoGP 21, the next chapter of the two-wheeled racing simulation game. The new game features the MotoGP 2021 official season and utilises the power of next generation consoles.
MotoGP 21 features a new progressive and strategic Managerial Career mode, advanced neural AI and real-life gameplay improvements which aims to enhance the simulation experience and the players’ immersion in the game.
Labelled as ANNA by the game developer, it is AI based on machine learning with additional improvements. The company claims it will allow players to race against faster, smarter and more accurate program opponents in the offline experience.
The new edition of Managerial Career — similar to the F1 2020 game regular career mode — allows players to delve into the managing experience of a race team — which introduces a new gameplay experience. The aim of the mode is to build the best team possible through investing resources along with providing players with tools for customising the bike — including design divided into five main categories of helmet, livery, suit, stickers and racing number. .
The personal manager leads the staff, helping riders to look for new contracts from the best teams in the championship. At the manager’s side, the chief engineer works towards increasing Research Points, earned weekly or during Free Practice sessions. The data analyst is in charge of finding the balance for each development area to progress, in order to make all the staff effective and dynamic.
Additionally, players are able to begin with a lower rank team, with the path progression more difficult for the player. Hiring the right people is fundamental to success of the player, beginning with the team manager, who will look for new sponsorship and riders, all the way up to the technical director who manages the R&D department for junior bikes.
For both scenarios, the bike is the protagonist and in MotoGP 21 with increased customisation — which the developer claims is moving another step close to reality. Assign your staff members to any of the bike development branches and invest R&D Points to improve engine power, aerodynamics, frame and the most important electronic features, such as traction control, brake, anti-wheelie and power mapping.
Gameplay generally has new features that will be present including:
- Bike Retrieval Sequence: Once players fall, they’ll no longer automatically respawn on track. Instead players have to get up and get back on their bike quickly.
- Brake Temperature: Monitoring the temperature of the brakes is key to maintaining control. If they are too hot or cold, they risk losing their effectiveness.
- Long Lap Penalty: Penalties can now be more specific and better match the racing series.
- Bike Suspension System Revised: The level of realism has increased for the suspension system in game.
Players who play the game on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X will have dynamic resolution up to 4K, along with 60FPS. Additionally, the overall quality has improved with enhanced lighting.
Loading times are faster and online races are now up to 22 riders. PlayStation 5 players will be able to use the features of the PS5 DualSense, including haptic feedback and adaptive triggers.
MotoGP 21 will be released on 22 April 2021 on PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, PC, Steam and Epic Games Store — along with monthly patches after release adding more features.