Sim Racing: Beyond Business, Investment, and Effort

In just over a decade, we’ve transitioned from a niche hobby to an industry that now moves significant money. The small, hardworking entrepreneurs of one-person businesses have given way to companies with hundreds of employees that we now need to monitor minimally in anticipation of market changes.

Asetek: At the end of 2022, they needed a significant financial injection to continue on the various fronts they have open. It’s worth noting that they hold almost 90% of the PC liquid cooling market, but their forecasts for this year were not promising. Despite this, their simRacing division is growing at the fastest rate, with an annual increase of 20%. There have been curious controversies regarding the quality and engineering of some of their products, brought up by supposed experts during this time.

Fanatec: We’ve been keeping you informed about the ongoing battle for control of the company, which currently seems to be heading towards a sale to the Americans at Corsair. Amidst this, there have been all kinds of accusations, including betrayals of Europe and laws tailored to favor foreign investments. It’s been quite a saga.

Motorsport Games: Following the launch of Le Mans Ultimate , there were a few good weeks. The figures and “activity” surrounding the game seemed promising, but everything soon quieted down. It hasn’t taken off on Steam, and it doesn’t seem like the upcoming summer releases will change anyone’s platform. The stock remains very low on NASDAQ, and the shadow of a pyramid scheme never quite dissipates.

Digital Bros: The parent company of Assetto Corsa has been restructuring (which means laying off 30 people) to face new challenges. Along the way, some of the classic faces from Kunos, AC’s own studio, have left the franchise to seek new horizons. We’ll see if it’s this summer or later when we face the new installment of Assetto Corsa and what new features it brings.

iRacing: The company continues its steady growth, now surpassing 150 employees while diversifying into various racing titles. It seems their leadership is not in danger as long as they maintain good financial health, as is currently the case.

Moza, Simagic, etc.: We know little about the Chinese brands operating on a completely opaque level to our Western eyes. Moza is a large company dedicated to camera stabilizers, so their business largely depends on that. However, Simagic is much smaller and solely dedicated to this sector, making it much more vulnerable to market changes.

Thrustmaster: The Franco-American company, much more focused on simRacing and simulation than Logitech, has managed to reach the minimum necessary level with Direct Drive. We have no doubt that they will continue to release products in the coming months to expand their catalog as they regain their financial strength.

Logitech: This is a company that is too large and has too many fronts open. Right now, after the release of Gran Turismo 7 and Forza Motorsport , they don’t seem interested in continuing to compete in the simRacing market despite having a very good foundation to do other things. It’s a shame, really.

Sim Racing Expo: SRE experienced remarkable growth since its inception. Over the years, both new and well-known companies have repeatedly joined the event. Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Expo has successfully brought together new enthusiasts and those interested in SimRacing every year.

If you think of any others, let us know right here.

Happy Racing!