Aiming to claw back some of the huge amounts of cash that it paid to sign up Clarkson, Hammond, and May three years ago, Amazon is gearing up to launch The Grand Tour video game for Play Station 4 and Xbox One.
As you’d expect, the game will be closely tied to the car-based Prime Original that first streamed for gearheads in November 2016.
So besides “seamless transitions from clips of the show to gameplay,” you’ll also find awesome motors, exotic locations, and outrageous challenges, along with “hours” of original voice acting by Clarkson and his two sidekicks.
Even better, Amazon claims The Grand Tour Game is “the first and only playable TV show in which you get to play the actual scenes you’ve seen on screen.” In other words, they’ll be feeding in show themes as season 3 progresses, allowing you to try the vehicles and tracks as each episode drops. “If they drive a cool car, you can too. If they go to an amazing location, you can too,” Amazon says, adding that the game will offer all the fun of The Grand Tour with none of the “neck strain and hospitalization.” We assume they’re referencing past crashes rather than any unfortunate punch-ups.
Hurl your best insults!
Created by Amazon Game Studios, The Grand Tour Game offers a single player option together with a split-screen mode where players can race against each other “and hurl their best insults — in-person.”
“It’s a video game featuring me, the crashy one, and the slow one. That’s all you need to know,” Jeremy Clarkson said in a release. “If you’ve always wanted to come on the road with us, this is as close as you’ll ever get. Unless you kidnap James and steal his face.”
Speaking of May, here’s his take on The Grand Tour Game: “If you’ve ever wanted to do my job, now you can. Obviously not literally, it’s just a game, so please don’t go through the drawers of my desk.”
And Hammond? “I live in the deep countryside, so frankly I’m impressed by anything that runs on electricity. But I have to admit this game is particularly brilliant, especially the four-player split-screen.”
Craig Sullivan, creative director at Amazon Game Studios, said his team was intent on capturing the spirit of the show, which he describes as “cars, banter with friends, and (mostly) friendly competition.”
So how good is it? Well, if the trailer (above) is anything to go by, the graphics look more Pole Position than DiRT 4, but if the makers have managed to inject some of the show’s unique traits into the gameplay, fans should be happy.
A release date for The Grand Tour Game is yet to be announced, though as it’s linked closely to the show, it should land toward the end of the year when season 3 is expected to start. There’s no word on pricing yet, either. Check back here for updates.
