Black Rock Studios says racing genre is “dying”, Split/Second will save it

News by Stephany Nunneley-Jackson News Editor

Published on April 22, 2009

Black Rock Studios' Tony Beckwith has told Develop that the racing genre is "dying out" and the firm's new title Split/Second will save it.

“If you look at the sales figures, the racing genre is, in many respects, dying out,” said Beckwith. “Take Mario Kart out of the equation and the genre is in a dire way.”

“We’re all fans of street racing here, but as a genre it is relatively stale - the evolution is only coming from how customize cars, which can only serve to remove you from the action. I think Split/Second will do the opposite.”

Made by the same folks who developed Pure, Split/Second enables players to strategically take out their opponents by altering the course in real time.

It's slated for a 2010 release for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.