F1 23 will feature a narrative mode with live action scenes like the one from 2022 Grid legends, if a new teaser from publisher Electronic Arts is any indication. On Monday we will hear more about Codemasters’ plans for the latest edition of the Formula 1 video game series.
To whet that appetite, fans got an extended (8 minute long) trailer introducing the fictional racing team F1 23Friday’s grid – Konnersport Racing Team, whose top driver is yes, you guessed it, Devon Butler.
Butler was the breakout star of Codemasters’ earlier attempts at a story: F1 2019‘s “taste” of three Formula 2 races on the way to a standard career, and F1 2021“Braking Point,” a much larger chapter-based mode that pitted Butler against two new playable protagonists. In a preview of that game, creative director Lee Mather raved that fans “understood devon well”, despite Codemasters deliberately “casting someone who has a face that wanted to punch you”.
So, what does Butler look like in live action? Unfortunately, all we got to see was a still photo with a voiceover. In this fictional F1 studio show, we spoke to (very real) hosts Naomi Schiff (formerly of Formula W’s Hitech GP and a Sky Sports personality) and Dickens Junior”dark chocolateNgoma, a motorsports Twitch streamer and influencer who has just signed with Red Bull Racing’s esports division as a content creator.
His hair looks a little different, but for the record, that’s still a hit. In addition to Butler’s ridiculous appeal, Butler appears to have his own management firm, Butler Global, and appears to share dual billing with Konnersport on the first reference. I’m sure that won’t cause any friction down the line.
Konnersport will be driven by (again fictional) team principal Tim Fellows, who did appear to talk to Schiff and Ngoma. And they introduce the Konnersport chassis and livery with all the flashing lights and persistent camera breaks you see when Mercedes or Aston Martin roll out their rides.
I don’t know if that’s a real chassis that Codemasters had painted – they shot in mixed reality Grid legends – but it does indeed look great. And if you’re wondering what some of those sponsors are, they’re fake chapters from Codemasters games that are about five years old now. In 2020 subreddit the F1 game tried to poke a stick bee what kind of companies what they are involved in, but this is admittedly non-canonical.
F1 23 is not dated yet, but when it launches – usually in June or early July – it will be on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Xbox One and Xbox Series X. .
Update: Monday part of F1 23‘s rollout revealed the cover stars. For the standard edition, it’s Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton (his eighth cover), Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc (third cover) and McLaren’s Lando Norris (second cover).
For the premium Champions Edition, it’s double defending world champion Max Verstappen from Red Bull (sixth cover). Since F1 2015when Codemasters started using drivers on their box art, it was common for the game’s packshot to use multiple stars.
said EA Sports F1 23‘s official reveal trailer, where we presumably get the launch date, will air on YouTube on Wednesday, May 3 at 11am EDT.
Image: Codemasters/Electronic Arts
Image: Codemasters/Electronic Arts