Ah monster trucks. They’re big, loud, brash, and as uniquely American as football or NASCAR racing. It’s also a genre of motorsports which hasn’t seen a dedicated game devoted to its greatness in a decade. Now Nacon (formerly Bigben) aims to end that drought with the announcement of Monster Truck Championship.
In their announcement, Nacon boldly calls Monster Truck Championship “the first Monster Truck simulation”. While Monster Truck Madness (1996, PCs) or even Bigfoot (1990, NES) might dispute that “first” tag, there’s no denying that Monster Truck Championship will be the first dedicated simulation on modern hardware. Racing with friends will certainly be easier than trying to get the finicky multiplayer working on some of the older games as well – the new game will support up to eight players in online racing.
Players can take control of eighteen different customizable vehicles in their play to become the ultimate Monster Truck driver. Each truck can be configured with over fifty elements of performance and style to suit both a player’s individual driving strategy and also create a visually distinct look.
Sometimes, trucks can fly. And also crush cars when they land.
The game will feature twenty-five circuits across the United States, along with a variety of game modes. Race, demolition, time attack, and the ever popular Freestyle will be core features across the circuits. Players can also access a career mode where they will not only hit the circuits to race, but also manage their own team. The ultimate goal is to become the professional league champion of the Monster Truck Finals.
Conspicuously absent from both the announcement trailer and the press release, however, is any mention of the most well known Monster Truck brand: Monster Jam. There is no Gravedigger, no Bigfoot, no Maximum Destruction shown in the trailer. Nor does the name “Monster Jam” appear in any of the branding. While that certainly shouldn’t detract from the quality of the game, it does make for a huge name recognition challenge. On the one hand, there’s the officially licensed Monster Jam Steel Titans, on the other hand, there’s Monster Truck Championship.
Wheel to wheel in a cloud of dust. How much downforce does a Monster Truck really need though?
Is there enough room in the market for two major Monster Truck simulators? We’ll find out later this year, when Monster Truck Championship releases for Microsoft Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Sony PlayStation 4, and PCs. In the meantime, interested players can keep an eye on the official Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube feeds for the game, as well as right here for all the latest in car smashing, high-flying monster truck action.
