The deals keep on coming for the Stuttgart-based car manufacturer. From Assetto Corsa to Project CARS to most recently Gran Turismo Sport, Porsche cars are now available in abundance in new racing games after the exclusivity deal with EA ended last year.
Adding one more to the list is Microsoft. The Forza series have featured Porsches before as DLC, but they have recently signed a new partnership that will last for six years “to collaborate on a suite of co-branded initiatives for Porsche and the Forza franchise”.
“By having Microsoft as our partner, we have the opportunity to take the pleasure of driving a Porsche and making it an experience in the virtual world”, says Detlev von Platen, Member of the Executive Board responsible for Sales and Marketing at Porsche AG. “Racing games and esports connect the real and virtual worlds and enable us to gain further access to the young target group. It means that they can develop a passion for Porsche even before buying their first sports car”.
One of the first initiatives here is Porsche’s first sponsorship on esports event. The brand will be a major sponsor for the Forza Racing Championship (ForzaRC), which will begin its third season with the ForzaRC New York Invitational on the 15-16th of April. Both Forza Motorport 6, the race sim, and Forza Horizon 3, the more arcade-like sibling, will be used in the championships.
More Porsche cars will be coming to Forza titles, beginning with last year’s Forza Horizon 3. The Porsche Car Pack is now available containing seven vehicles including the 2016 Cayman GT4, 2016 911 GT3 RS and the 1960 718 RS 60.
The post-EA deal Porsche is very adamant on making more exposure in video games, including venturing into esports. And it seems they are making better value with this newfound freedom than ever before.