Ford is looking for online racers to compete in its first esports team, and starting at Gamescom, Ford will recruit for national Fordzilla teams for UK, Spain, Italy, France, and Germany, as well as a European squad consisting of the best players from each. Fordzilla racers will compete in Forza Motorsport 7 as well as others, a game that includes Ford vehicles too.
"We at Ford have a racing pedigree that others can only envy. Now is the time to take that know-how and apply it to the world of esports - capturing the imagination of a new generation of virtual racing drivers, inspiring them to take a ride in one of our Ford Performance vehicles," said Roelant de Waard, vice president, Marketing Sales & Service, Ford of Europe.
"The distinction between real and virtual worlds is blurring. Gaming is now a part of mainstream culture. Top gamers challenge professional race drivers in real life and many of our day-to-day activities are 'gamified', from using fitness apps to collecting loyalty points for a free coffee," adds Amko Leenarts, director, Design, Ford of Europe. "Harnessing the passion and expertise of the gaming community will help evolve our thinking around what future journeys will look like - something that we are all committed to and really excited about."
"We are pleased to see Forza Motorsport continuing to be the game of choice for big brands like Ford as they launch esports initiatives," said Justin Osmer, Sr. Manager of Partnership Development at Turn 10 Studios. "With millions of fans playing Forza games, we've seen significant growth in the numbers who want to compete, or simply spectate, in esports and it's great to see a long-standing partner like Ford Motor Company bringing even more opportunities to participate."
Is this a good initiative from Ford?