Codemasters Signs French Racer Fuel

Codemasters will publish French-developed racing game Fuel, previously known as Grand Raid Offroad, the publisher says. The game is being developed by Bordeaux based developer Asobo Studios, using their own proprietary engine. The game is the result of four years of development, with the company’s previous notable titles being movie tie-ins such as The Mummy, Ratatouille and Wall-E for platforms such as PlayStation 2. The game will be released on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC next year and claims to have the largest environment ever created in a race game, with over 5,000 square miles of simulated space. According to its creators, Fuel is set in an "alternate present" where much of the globe has been devastated by the effects of climate change and environmental abuse. Races involve a competition for oil in rally-style cars reminiscent of the Mad Max film series. “The technology Asobo Studios has developed to build Fuel is ground-breaking. To create a game on this unprecedented scale to this level of graphical quality, complete with all the dynamic weather effects, is a great achievement,” said Barry Jafrato, senior vice president of brand at Codemasters.