The preparations for ESL R1 are running at full steam ahead of its debut on February 11th at IEM Katowice, using the brand-new RENNSPORT platform – and while Esports teams will be able to race in the simulator already, the closed beta for those who signed up for a key will have to wait: An official statement by Competition Company CEO Morris Hebecker announced a further delay of the program.
Initially scheduled to start in late 2022, the start of the closed beta had been moved back to early February 2023 already – now, a new date has not been given yet, as opposed to an explanation on why sim racers will have to have more patience.
The delay mainly stems from the required server infrastructure, as Hebecker explains: While the Esports side “needs a stable running server – the closed beta needs a working system that allows users to create their own servers at any time and run them simultaneously with multiple other servers”. Add in the much larger number of racers, and the challenge increases. Hebecker continues: “If you look at it that way, it is easier to have a game ready for a small group of Esports teams than it is to have it ready for numerous closed beta players.”
This implies that RENNSPORT does not intend to release a half-ready beta to a limited amount of sim racers, but rather wants to get things right first – while also apparently having underestimated the amount of work for both the Esports and the closed beta side of things being ready to race at roughly the same time.
What do you think about the delay? What are your hopes for RENNSPORT? Let us know in the comments!