Slightly Mad Studios rolls down the window and chats about its racing MMO.

World of Speed is a PC-only, arcade-style racing MMO where it's not all about placing first. WoS has team-based racing, with in-race objectives where everyone can contribute. The game is coming from the same developer as Project CARS, and actually shares the same engine – albeit with game-specific tweaks.

We get under the hood with Andy Tudor, Creative Director at Slightly Mad Studios, who convinces us that World of Speed is a game to keep our eyes on in 2014.

What really sets World of Speed apart from other racing games?

"Every other racing game is focused on a single player trying to go as fast as possible to to win by coming in first place. Even other racing games that purport to be 'team' or 'social' or 'club' based still adhere to this traditional racing structure.

"In World of Speed however, we wanted to provide an environment where team play really felt co-operative yet competitive, so obvious parallels between MMORPG raids and real-life sports came to light. By building the game from the ground up with collaborative team-based efforts in mind, World of Speed sets itself apart by allowing players to maintain a car and key role while contributing to the overall team's success rather than striving for a sometimes unattainable 1st place finish.

"Therefore, in World of Speed, every player can 'win' in some way while helping their team earn rewards no matter what place in the race they finish. An example from other genres might be playing the Engineer in Team Fortress or a Support in League of Legends - you play a vital role in your team even though you may not be the one that generates the most kills or head shots."

What defines World of Speed as an MMO?

"Similar to other MMO titles, there are countless players inhabiting your world who all have varying skill levels, gear, all congregate in 'social zones', team up to go on raids, complete sub-quests, communicate through chat features and form clans. Even if you're not a racing fan, the core MMO principles will be obvious and make it easy to transition from the traditional fantasy or sci-fi focused genre into one of car culture.

"Players can grow their car collections, kit them out with gear to make them more competitive, update the visuals, enter events (raids) and complete side quests (objectives). Through a collaborative team effort, where each player has a different yet distinct role, the winning team will emerge and be awarded loot (reward). In your downtime, you can chat with friends, create a clan (club) and socialize in the Airfield Playground - a non-competitive space - to play around, smash through objects, meet new people, do crazy jumps, challenge others to a drag race and more."

For non-racing fans, are there some elements they can latch onto?

"World of Speed is predominantly a multiplayer game focused on friend-based player and social interactions, which helps to set it apart from other racing titles on the market. We have a special area called the Airfield Playground which is a social zone where players of all skill levels can hang out, do stunts, meet other players and start new clubs."

Sounds good to us! Even better: the game will be free, meaning curious gamers can jump into World of Speed at zero-risk. If you can't wait to give it a shot, you can sign up now for the beta.

Colt "ShdwFlm" Casey
Deputy Editor