14 DAY TRIAL // Our Incoming 2015 series focuses on the most important game launches of the next 12 months and next up we talk about Pro Cycling Manager 2015.
What we know
Pro Cycling Manager 2015 is once again developed by Cyanide and published by Focus Home Interactive and aims to deliver a solid simulation of the mechanics of the modern peloton, allowing gamers to either choose their favorite team or to create a custom one from scratch.
At the moment, the studio is seeking players who have experience with the series in order to test the core mechanics, but they have offered limited information on the changes they are planning to make.
Pro Cycling Manager 2015 has not introduced a significant update to the engine for some time, and the 3D models and racing sometimes look outdated, which means they’re obvious targets for improvement.
At the same time, many fans would love to see more depth being introduced to the actual team and rider management, even if this kind of features are not easy to market to the wider public.
Pro Cycling Manager 2015 does not have an official launch date yet, but it will be delivered on the PC a few weeks before the start of the actual Tour de France.
A version of the companion title for home consoles will probably arrive around the same moment, offering much simplified gameplay and more of a focus on controlling just one rider.
Why it matters
Pro Cycling Manager 2015 will benefit from the fact that no other cycling simulation exists, so fans of the sport who want to re-write history need to pick up the title from Cyanide.
But the studio also knows that its fan base is highly demanding and tends to be very critical even if it spends hundreds of hours with the experience.
So Pro Cycling Manager 2015 will need to enhance the strategic choices that gamers can make and improve and streamline the actual races, while delivering a wider range of stages to choose from and better modding tools.
As always, much of the success of the game will be linked to the content that the community can create, adding depth for the most hardcore of fans.