Exactly as expected, Milestone have announced MotoGP 21 and confirmed that the game will be coming to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, in addition to the usual PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC versions, MotoGP 21 will launch on 22nd April 2021.
As with the previously released and updated games MXGP 20 and Ride 4, MotoGP 21 will run with a dynamic resolution up to 4K and a 60fps frame rate. The game visuals have also been improved with enhanced lighting, there’s faster loading time, online races now have up to 22 races, and the game takes advantage of the DualSense haptic feedback and adaptive triggers.
MotoGP 21 also promises to make the racing more realistic than before. If you crash or fall you will no longer automatically respawn, but will have to run over to your bike and get back on, just like in real life. Brake temperature will now be a factor, the bike suspension system has been revised, and the game now features long lap penalties as a way of punishing transgressions. Introduced in the 2019 season, the game has caught up to the real sport in that regard.
The game will build on the existing features of the series, with the latest iteration of ANNA, the neural network AI for drivers and an overhauled Managerial Career. Amongst the staff hires, you now have a personal manager to lead the staff, chief engineer to increase research points earned, and a data analyst to try and balance bike development – R&D and customisation are as important as ever. If you wish you can start your career with a junior team in lower Moto categories.
MotoGP 21 will feature the 2021 season, which is not expected to be anywhere near as heavily impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic as the 2020 season was, though Dorna has made provisions that could affect the game. They chose to postpone the Argentine and American Grand Prix until the situation is deemed safe in those countries, the season will start with a double-header in Qatar before heading to Portugal for the third round, and there is a single Reserve Grand Prix event in Indonesia, after the Russian Grand Prix was removed from the reserve list. It’s not clear what tracks will appear in MotoGP 2021 or if Milestone will adapt the game before April.