Game on! KTM help to forge new Xbox racer
‘Motocross Madness’ is the title of a new upcoming Xbox game that will come on the market soon. Creating this virtual world is a company called Bongfish from Graz in Austria, and they visited KTM frequently to get tips and help from inside the off-road world for their project…
KTM factory Mattighofen, main building, second floor. Lunchtime. A dozen people from marketing, PR and customer sport got delivered pasta and pizza from the local Italian restaurant and sit together feasting in a meeting room around a big circular table. In the middle stands an Xbox, running a beta-version of the game Motocross Madness while a beamer projects the moving pictures on a projection screen. The mood is cheerful. People are eating, munching and talking at the same time. Some are looking on the motocross-action in front of them laughing or following along with gestures that top the mix of music and engine sounds: aahhh…. yeahhh…. uuihhh….
Action, Action. The MX rider on the screen bolts along quickly, drifts, jumps, crashes and remounts instantly pushing on. Everything happens so fast. The graphics are real but playful, comic-like. Motorcycle brands and types are symbolized. If you know the KTM range, you are able to recognize some bikes. The track is a sand course in the desert, surrounded by pyramids and stony old buildings. It all looks easy and playful.
Time passes quickly. When the rooms empties, only Social Media guy Marcus Erlmoser remains, playing along with the controller in his hands: “The Xbox and this beta-version of Motocross Madness have been supplied to us by the Bongfish people. I haven’t played that much; maybe this is my third time. Is it fun? Yes, sure. The menu allows a lot of choice with riders, bikes, circuits and terrain. I like the graphics, the design and the richness of variety you can see. The game is creative, funny and also entertaining while watched in groups. So you don´t necessarily have to play it on your own to find it interesting.” A distinctive thumbs-up from the motorcycle specialists then.
The contact between Bongfish and KTM has mostly been handled by IT technician Alex Koths. “I like the game as it is now, it’s cool. The guys from Bongfish consulted us right from beginning of development. Of course it is feel pretty special to be able to give some input on a project like this. It is not something you do everyday! The menus and navigating your away around the game is simple. You quickly acquaint yourself and start playing. You can use avatars from other games too. The bikes are not clearly defined, they are close to a certain look and can be recognised by colours or design elements. They are mainly ‘orange-type’ bikes, so in any case you get the right ones to play with!”
The game Motocross Madness will be released in the first quarter of 2013 (maybe already in February) and be available by download. When it’s ready and the price is set then we’ll let you know about it right here on the blog.
