Major sport around the globe are on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic, but that won't stop MotoGP 20.
Everything from cricket to Formula 1 has been postponed, leaving fans with little to do.
Even the video game industry is not immune, with rumours of major releases like FIFA potentially being delayed.
Thankfully though, MotoGP 20 will be released next month as originally planned.
We sat down with Michele Caletti, producer of the game, to get the latest news ahead of Milestone's annual entry.
MotoGP 20 unaffected by COVID-19
ON TIME: We aren't expecting any delays for MotoGP 20
When we asked Michele Caletti in a recent interview whether he was expecting a delay to MotoGP 20's anticipated April release date. Thankfully for motorsport gamers, the news is positive:
"This year we anticipated the release, so when we started to work from home, we were already close to the Gold."
Milestone obviously left plenty of time before the release of the game to iron out any bugs and kinks that might be present in the game. This has given the developers the chance to work from home and still complete the project on-time.
Which means you can still expect to play MotoGP 20 on 23 April on Xbox One, PS4, PC, & Stadia.
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about MotoGP 20
Caletti was also keen to praise his development team behind MotoGP 20, as their determination and ability to adapt to working at home was key in delivering the game on time:
"What we're doing wouldn't be possible with the outstanding reaction of the team: every designer, programmer, artist, tester, is still working hard, even with difficulties, to a degree."
This news is crucial for the game's success too.
MotoGP 20 will provide the action fans want
BIGGER THAN EVER BEFORE: MotoGP 20 could be the most popular release in the franchise's history
With so much of the world in lockdown and people unable to leave their houses, media like video games is more popular than ever.
The start of the MotoGP season has also been delayed until at least May, so an April release for the official game will be the only way motorbike racing fans can experience racing action.
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about MotoGP's Extreme Realism
Plus, with other major sporting releases like F1 2020 and FIFA 21 still being in development, it's likely they could experience delays. These delays could also extend to other racing games and the next generation of consoles.
As we've seen with the likes of Red Dead Redemption 2, delays aren't necessarily a bad thing. However, for a time-sensitive release like MotoGP, it wouldn't be good.
Extreme realism for an extreme series
With the PS5 and Xbox Series X being released later this year, this will likely be the last MotoGP game released on the current generation of consoles. This is Milestone’s final chance to boost interest around the series ahead of the beginning of ninth-gen.
Extreme realism is as a result of the developers pulling out all the stops and pushing the systems to their limits. Here’s a full rundown of what is included:
Thanks to this handy graphic recently added to their website, we can see what exactly is included with extreme realism.
Graphics are key to selling your game and immersing the players. Gameplay is arguably more important, but if the game doesn’t look good, it’ll struggle. Thankfully, that won’t be the case with MotoGP 20. As we can see from the screenshots released so far, the game is a noticeable improvement over 19.
READ MORE: MotoGP 20 – Manager Mode: Everything you need to know
A new lighting model, better rider models, and redesigned pit boxes are some of the highlights. However, the other graphical updates pique the interest more.
The “new asphalt” might not only be a graphical update but also a physics-based one. You could be able to feel every bump and change of gradient around the circuits.
The “Team Manager Face Scan” is also a cool feature. It will mean the team principles of each team have their actual faces in the game, much like Premier League managers in FIFA. Perhaps you’ll even be able to use a “game face” feature for your character in Managerial Mode, but that is yet to be decided.