When Codemasters announced last month that it was stepping away from rally games after more than twenty years, many fans, including myself, feared there would be a long drought for officially licensed WRC titles. That uncertainty ended this week when French publisher NACON confirmed an exclusive agreement with the FIA to produce WRC games from 2027 through 2032. The deal gives NACON and its long-time development partner, Kylotonn, a clear runway to shape the next generation of rallying games.
For those who might not be familiar, NACON’s résumé is a mixed bag. The company has published everything from niche “simulations” like Rims Racing to ambitious open-world racing games such as Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown.
Its most relevant experience, however, comes from seven consecutive annual WRC releases between 2015 and 2022. Although those games started exceptionally rough, they evolved into solid titles with surprisingly sophisticated simulations, culminating in WRC 10 and WRC Generations, the former being a series highlight. Although WRC Generations shipped with some input quirks and interesting physics quirks, it felt like Kylotonn was finding their groove.
The community reaction to the WRC’s new license holder is understandably divided. On one hand, Codemasters’ final effort, EA Sports WRC, set a high watermark for rally games that are both realistic and still approachable by the masses, in no small part thanks to their decades of history in the field and amazing DiRT Rally games. Comparing anything to what they were able to put out feels almost unfair. On the other hand, Kylotonn had just begun to find its creative stride. Many of the stages feel like the tight, technical experiences that you’re just happy to see the end of, experiences that really are only found in games such as the legendary Richard Burns Rally.
With two full calendar years before their first licensed release, the studio has a rare luxury in modern game development: time. We suspect they might be moving to Unreal Engine 5 due to their more recent games such as Tour de France 2025 also published by Nacon moving over to the engine.
Competitive players, myself included, have additional reasons for optimism. Kylotonn’s games powered the official WRC eSports Championship and events such as the FIA Rally Star Rally At Home finals, which means the groundwork has already been laid and many of the issues are already well known.
If the developers refine what they have without breaking too much in the transition to a new game engine, we could be pleasantly surprised by the game we end up with. That’s not to say skepticism isn’t needed. WRC Generations needed polish, yet the combination of a proven physics engine, an extended development cycle, and the exclusive rights position NACON to deliver a genuine successor to Codemasters’ excellent games.
Judgment can wait until 2027; for now, cautious optimism feels like the right line through the next corner. If you would like to learn more about this announcement, you can check out the official post that the World Rally Championship promoter made here.