The final IndyCar video game, or will there be another?

It has been 17 years since the most recent official IndyCar video was released. Is there any chance that number will find the reset button?

On Tuesday, June 22, 2004, Codemasters released the 16th officially licensed IndyCar game, based on the 2003 season: IndyCar Series 2005.

The racing simulation game was released for PlayStation 2, Xbox and Microsoft Windows, and it is the sequel to the game IndyCar Series, which was released for the same platforms one year prior and based on the 2002 season.

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The games are geared at hardcore fans of the sport a lot more so than casual gamers, given the competitiveness of the AI and the true representation of the series in almost every aspect and every mode.

They are almost identical, though the sequel does have some various improvements, including the addition of a 15th track: Twin Ring Motegi.

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For the fans to whom these games were geared, the games left them wanting more — like IndyCar Series 2006, 2007, 2008 and beyond.

To this day, there are several racing simulation games that feature various IndyCar mods, including but not limited to rFactor, rFactor 2, iRacing, Assetto Corsa and Forza Motorsport 7. But after Tuesday, June 22, 2004, 17 years ago today, there has not been another official video game released for the series.

Will the sport ever see another official video game based on a real-life season with real-life drivers and tracks, or will fans need to track down — and pay for — a rare copy of IndyCar Series 2005 to own the series’ most recent racing simulation game?

Codemasters still produces the annual Formula 1 games, and it was recently purchased by Electronic Arts (EA). EA recently announced plans to revive their NCAA football franchise, which hasn’t seen a game since NCAA Football 14 was released in July 2013.

America’s highest level of open-wheel racing certainly isn’t on par popularity-wise with NCAA Football, but given EA’s financial resources and Codemasters’ ability to produce a great racing game, maybe one day we will no longer be able to say that a game from June 2004 is the newest IndyCar video game.

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Additionally, Dmitry Kozko, the CEO of NASCAR Heat 5 publisher Motorsport Games told Beyond the Flag that he would be “thrilled to work with IndyCar to implement the most realistic and authentic experience possible to the fans that have been clamoring for a game” if that opportunity ever presented itself.