Nacon has confirmed the next official World Rally Championship game is in development at a brand-new studio called Grit Games, built from scratch on Unreal Engine 5. The announcement puts to rest any assumption that KT Racing (also known as Kylotonn) would reclaim the license after Codemasters stepped away from the series.
How the WRC license ended up here
The WRC license has had a complicated few years. Nacon held it from 2015 to 2022, publishing seven games developed by KT Racing. The series then moved to Codemasters, which released EA Sports WRC in 2023 using Unreal Engine 4. Shortly after that launch, Codemasters announced it was "pausing development plans on future rally titles," effectively walking away from the franchise.
That opened the door for Nacon to step back in. The publisher has now secured the official WRC license for the period from 2027 through to 2032, a five-year window that gives Grit Games real runway to build something substantial.
Who is actually behind Grit Games
Here's the thing: Grit Games is a new studio, but it is not staffed by strangers to the WRC series. Nacon named several team members with direct experience on the franchise. Hardouin Pouzet served as lead game programmer on WRC 7 through WRC 9. Alexandre Assier produced those same three entries. Laura Gayet brings art experience from Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown.
The studio also sent part of its team to the 2026 Monte Carlo Rally in January, which signals genuine research investment this early in development. That kind of on-the-ground work tends to show up in the final product, especially when it comes to surface detail and stage authenticity in racing games.
KT Racing developed WRC 5 through WRC Generations (2022), a run of seven games under the Nacon and Bigben Interactive publishing umbrella before Codemasters took over the license.
What Unreal Engine 5 means for the project
Building on Unreal Engine 5 is a meaningful choice. For context, EA Sports WRC ran on Unreal Engine 4, and the gap between those two engines is significant in terms of lighting, geometry detail, and environmental rendering. Assetto Corsa Rally, currently in Steam Early Access, also runs on UE5 and has drawn strong early impressions for its visual fidelity.
The key here is that Grit Games is building from scratch rather than inheriting an existing codebase. That means no legacy tech debt, but also no shortcuts. The studio is starting at zero, which makes the 2027 target window ambitious by any measure.
What Nacon has not said yet
Nacon's debut video for WRC 2027 was light on specifics. No platforms were confirmed. No gameplay was shown. No release window beyond the year 2027 was given. The announcement was essentially a studio reveal and a statement of intent, with the Monte Carlo footage serving as proof the team is already doing their homework.
For fans of the series who have been without a new official WRC title since EA Sports WRC launched in late 2023, the wait continues. But the combination of KT Racing alumni, a clean UE5 build, and Nacon's long history with the license at least gives the project a credible foundation.
For Wreckfest 2 fans who also follow rally racing, this is worth keeping on your radar as the genre fills back out over the next year. More details on WRC 2027 are expected as Grit Games moves further into production, so check back at our racing games hub for updates as they land.
