We’re getting older, and another iconic simulation (or car game) brand is celebrating its 25th anniversary. The 25th anniversary of Gran Turismo was also celebrated in 2022, so 1997 was an important year when the PSX (original PlayStation) and computers began to look like serious things that could be played with more than just pixels in crude 3D environments.
To combine his passion and expertise, Thomas Jackermeier founded and created Endor Ag, the parent company of the Fanatec brand of steering wheels and devices. His first steering wheel was the Le Mans model, which was PC compatible and launched the brand’s production in 1998. After many models and generations of consoles and PCs, they have now reached previously unimaginable heights with collaborations with BMW, Porsche, Bentley, and Ford, including their devices in real racing cars and reaching nearly everyone.
This anniversary comes at a particularly difficult time for Fanatec (Endor AG), because the supply crisis and the situation following the end of the pandemic, combined with the trade war between East and West, have made it extremely difficult to obtain stock, and prices have skyrocketed. We’ve come a long way since the 2020s, when many businesses were still selling despite restrictions.
Fanatec has had a crazy few years, with a massive expansion abruptly halting due to global causes. There we can find the most important dates for this company, which had 195 employees worldwide and invoiced nearly 40 million euros in sales in 2019 and plans to double sales to 90 million in 2020. The numbers have been maintained at around 82 million in 2021, and sales of Gran Turismo 7 appear to be strong going into 2022.
We’ll have to wait and see how Black Friday, one of the company’s busiest shopping days, plays out, as we currently only have stock of the Playstation F1 DD Wheel packs and the Podium DD2 dock inside the bases. The CSL series with GT DD PRO or CSL DD has vanished. The remaining items appear to be better stocked with immediate availability, so we will keep you updated as the dates approach.
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