MotoGP™24: FROM THE PADDOCK #1
We’re taking a deep dive into this year’s installment of our MotoGP™ videogame series, starting with the Lead Game Designer Stefano Talarico: get ready to know more about MotoGP™24!
MotoGP™24 has just been announced, and this is only the beginning! Over the upcoming months, we’ll keep you thrilled with sneak peeks of what awaits you, getting you ready for the real deal when the game comes out on May 2nd!
As part of our commitment to ease your wait (or make it more unbearable?), we asked the development team to have a word with us. We thought there was no better way to introduce a new chapter than by talking about what it means to bring it to life: what does it mean to develop a MotoGP™ videogame? And especially MotoGP™24?
We sat down with Stefano Talarico, Lead Game Designer and MotoGP™ enthusiast, to discuss his experience and what we can expect from this new chapter. Working on a MotoGP™ video game is a lifetime dream for every fan and player, but how do things change when you actually get this chance? If they change, at all. Let’s find out!
How long have you been working for Milestone? Have you been a Lead Game Designer from the very start?
I joined Milestone in 2022, and I’ve always worked on the MotoGP™ series. I consider myself lucky because I am an everlasting MotoGP™ fan, and I think that making a work out of your passion is like, you know, a dream come true. I started as a Game Designer, but for MotoGP™24 I moved up a category and became Lead Game Designer.
The major difference between the two is that being a Lead means you need to have a clear overview. You have to be “multilingual”, because you interact with all the teams working on the game, and other Leads too. And they all speak the language of their craft if you know what I mean. Game Designers, in fact every designer, work on a specific part of the game and focus on that alone. Whether it be for a week, two, or three, that’s it. A Lead has to be always aware of everything, know what is needed to finalize the project, give directives, and also mediate between the parts involved in the development. So, while it’s true that there are great responsibilities, my goal is the same; it’s more a change of perspective.
So you started your career in a year we can deem a new beginning for the series.
Precisely. It was a year of big changes compared to the past: we overhauled the Career, and we worked on various levels to move forward from the previous chapter, intending to put the player more and more in the rider’s boots during the Championship and offer an experience increasingly closer to reality. So yes, we deem it as a new starting point on which to build MotoGP™24 – both in terms of physics and overall content.
MotoGP™23 was a fresh start, and we acknowledged that much. MotoGP™24 picks up where it ended and improves the experience further. How was the transition to this new project?
The essential premise for MotoGP™24 was to follow the path the previous game traced: satisfy our players’ requests. Dynamic Weather and Flag to Flag have been crucial to letting MotoGP™23 be closer than ever to reality; it has been a challenge, but it was worth it.
This year we can finally add the Riders Market, probably the last major piece we needed to fully shape the game and the series itself, but we also got the chance to implement the MotoGP™ Stewards to treat both the players and the AI fairly when it comes to infractions. These two features alone prove our commitment to the game and the amount of work behind it. We care about our players’ feedback because we know its importance for the overall game. In this regard, I’m positive that MotoGP™24 will do a great job giving the best MotoGP™ experience.
In the end, what does it mean to develop a MotoGP™ video game? Both emotionally and on a practical level. What’s the process behind it? The joys and sorrows?
Undoubtedly, the biggest challenge is to develop a complex game that can offer something new year by year, given the limited time we have to do it. Being able to add as many new features as possible requested by the players in such a short time, and do it with great results, is super exciting. The Riders Market, for example, is a mix of bikes, riders, suits, and colors that change one Championship after another and let you have different challenges each time. Working on it has been complex, to say the least, but when we saw it in action we knew all the efforts were worth it. So yes, our commitment, and the true challenge itself, is developing a game increasingly in line with reality, along with satisfying our players’ needs both in terms of simulation and game experience. It requires a perfect balance between performance and the enjoyment of the game: this is the reason behind the brand-new adaptive difficulty. It’s quite a complex system, but an essential one to let everyone be able to play MotoGP™24 at their own pace. Without, of course, depriving the experience of its realism. The riders themselves, when we talk with them about the game, are satisfied with the bike behavior and this means a lot for us.
How useful is the riders’ feedback on how well the work is going, especially regarding the feeling of the bike from real to digital? If you can have it, that is.
Since the developing timing and the Championship timing overlap, it’s rather difficult to get this chance. Nevertheless, there were a few times we got to speak with riders or authorized personnel, and we learned a lot from them. We treasured those talks and put all we learned into the development.
You said before that you are a MotoGP™ enthusiast. We assume your passion plays a major role in helping you do your job. How, exactly?
Absolutely. Knowing the sport and its history, along with watching every race, helps you a lot because you’re always up to date on what’s happening. You can anticipate some news, give tips to your colleagues, and do all the small things that save you a lot of time. And since MotoGP™ is an annual video game, whatever edge you can use is critical for the development. Joining Milestone as a MotoGP™ enthusiast helped me greatly, even for settling in. It’s like being a football fan and becoming part of your favorite team.
To wrap this up, here’s the most difficult question: who’s your favorite rider?
It’s super complex indeed, but not for the reasons you may think. Being able to make a job out of your passion means that you, over the years, get a more critical and technical eye: this is why, due to my work, I look at MotoGP™ with objectivity. I am fascinated by the riders’ techniques, rather than simply cheering for one or another. For example, I like Jack Miller because of how he faces every race and how he handles the bike – he’s like a tightrope walker. But I also like Jorge Martín because he embodies the extremization of the MotoGP™. Then, there are great characters: Marco Bezzecchi flamboyancy, Pecco Bagnaia, who won back-to-back championships with last-race battles… It’s really difficult to choose because everyone contributes to the sport in their own way.
This is you as a developer speaking. What would a younger yourself say?
Valentino Rossi. No need to think twice.
We hope you’ve enjoyed reading this first chapter of MotoGP™24: From the Paddock and are looking forward to learning more from behind the scenes of the game over the coming months!
