Formula E ‘Virtual Championship’ to Take Place on Forza 6

Not content in running only in the real world, Formula E, the racing series for specially designed electric cars, will be running a ‘virtual championship’ that will take the form of a month-long eSports tournament on the popular racing sim, Forza Motorsport 6. The event will begin next weekend and take place across four rounds, with the ending set to coincide with the end of Formula E’s second real-life season. The prize up for grabs will be a share of a pot of €15,000, awarded as part of the final weekend of the series’ season.

Formula E’s cars were already added to Forza 6 last year, shortly before the game’s release and have already gathered popularity due to a number of Formula E events that have been held in the game over the length of the season. These “Race Off” events took place in real life, inviting gamers, YouTube personalities and even the real world Formula E drivers together to face off against each other in the game.

Unlike those events, the new “Pro Series” will take place entirely virtually, with each round providing competitors with a week to run time trials using the Formula E cars. After the event starts on the 24th, players will be able to join a special rivals event from the in-game Xbox Live lobby and compete for the best laps. When the first round ends on March 31st, those with the 10 best laps will be chosen to participate in a virtual final on April 2nd. This format will repeat 3 more times, with the last round ending on June 2nd. The top 2 from each round’s final will then be invited to London to go head to head with each other for a share of the €15,000.

It is exciting to see Formula E becoming so invested in engaging in the virtual as well as the real and makes many of the more traditional racing series look even more outdated by comparison. With AI racing already in the works and now a virtual racing championship, what exciting new ideas will Formula E come up with next?