Just a few days before PAX East started, Castrol EDGE and Electronic Arts teamed up for a unique challenge inspired by Need for Speed Payback. For years arguments have raged back and forth about whether virtual racers can match up with their real-life counterparts. With the advent of professional drivers coming to sims such as iRacing, and Gran Turismo Academy grads turning pro, the lines have only blurred more. While the Titanium Gamer challenge won’t win any of the arguments, it does provide a unique take on the question by pitting a racing driver and gamer against each other in a specially modified Ford Mustang.
While at PAX East, I got a chance to spend a few minutes with both Monster drift driver Luke Woodham and Twitch/Youtube racing game driver Theo Thomas (blackpanthaa) and talk to them a little bit about their experience with the Titanium Gamer challenge for Castrol EDGE and Need for Speed Payback.
Me: “From a racer’s perspective, what was it like being physically in the car, but driving in the 3rd-person?”
Luke: “Literally like playing Need for Speed. I was absolutely blown away by how well it worked. It was like taking a game car, and driving it down the road. It is that good. I had to pinch myself to realize that I was actually in the car, and remind myself that there’s no reset button. I love how games are really getting closer to reality now. I do a lot of my training in the simulator, and it’s all starting to come together now. Really good, really impressed.”
Me: “From the gamer’s perspective, now you’re in a real performance car, and there’s no reset button. How’d you handle things?”
Theo: “I got in, and, like Luke said, it was the exact same setup as Need for Speed. The biggest difference for me was a bigger wheel. With the simulators the wheels are smaller. You get in there and it felt almost the same, at least until you mash the throttle.”
Luke: “It was unbelievable how good it was. I’d love to have that camera view for drifting.”
In real life, Theo drives a Lexus RCF, and is no stranger to high performance driving. Luke, obviously, is no stranger to the track, and has also wrung a fair bit of enjoyment out of a few Mustangs in his personal time.
I also asked Theo and Luke about the time it took to shoot the Titanium Gamer challenge. They told me that it all came together over just two days in the desert and at an airfield to get everything shot. Everything went very smooth, just hit one corner, then the next, maybe redo a few corners to get the shot. Both Luke and Theo did state a wish for a “Director’s Cut” version to include some of the fun that didn’t make the final video cut.
Regarding being approached for the video, Luke had this to say: “When Castrol EDGE approached me, it sounded like such a unique challenge I knew I couldn’t miss out. And in reality, it was one of the most exhilarating, toughest driving experiences of my life.”
Theo added: “It was of course a lot harder than the game, but I also had to remember I was driving a real car at times – it was such a massive sensory challenge.”
With regards to the final video, which also premiered in conjunction with a new Titanium Trial in Need for Speed Paypack members of both Castrol and EA had this to say:
Vivek Rampal, Global Marketing Director, Cars & Bikes at Castrol, commented: “There’s strong synergy between the Need for Speed and Castrol EDGE brands; we focus on pushing boundaries. TITANIUM GAMER is a challenge unlike anything else that uses gaming technology to illustrate the role of oil in engine performance, and that Castrol EDGE has the strength to perform no matter what demands are placed on the engine or its driver.”
Christian Sponziello, EA Brand Partnerships Director, commented: “Titanium Gamer has been an exciting project to work closely on with Castrol EDGE. This has been an innovative program that has enabled us to bring the sensation of playing Need for Speed to life for real, which Luke and Theo found extremely exhilarating.”
Players interested in checking out Need for Speed Payback can find out more on EA’s website, while drivers looking for more information about Castrol EDGE or their other lubricant products can check out Castrol’s website.
