Grid Legends Injects A Story Mode Into The Racing Series, Coming 2022

Developer Codemasters revealed a new racing game, Grid Legends, during EA Play Live 2021. The announcement trailer for Grid Legends showcases a mixture of live-action actors and cinematic gameplay--for the next game in the Grid series, Codemasters is going all in on delivering a compelling story-driven campaign.

"The Grid series has always been about delivering gameplay excellence," senior game designer Becky Crossdale said. "And with Grid Legends, you are still getting that same immersive racing experience that you know and love. But this time, we're taking things up a notch and we're adding another layer on top of that--we're really proud of this new Story mode."

Codemasters is using Extended Reality (xR) for Grid Legends' story mode--it's similar to what was used to create the diverse locations for Disney's The Mandalorian.

"It's what they use to create those incredible worlds," Crossdale said. "We are using this tech to draw you further into this racing experience. We really want to bring you deeper into the Grid world than ever before. It's also been really great for our actors because they're acting against something that's visually there. It's not the same as green screen or motion capture. They are stepping into our Grid world and reacting with it."

Crossdale described Grid Legends as "a classic underdog tale." Alongside Story mode, the game will also feature Boost and Elimination, though Crossdale did not detail what either mode will look like.

Grid Legends is scheduled to launch in 2022.