Previously known for Wipeout’s graphic design direction and a wide range of iconic brands; The Designers Republic will work side by side with the developers to promote and establish the visual style design aspects for the game. Combining decades of development and design expertise, Formula Fusion will represent the next big leap forward for the genre.

Formula Fusion is currently in pre-production and promises many enhancements over the original version of Wipeout, including; craft and technology customization, track editing tools, synchronous multiplayer with online leagues and a new hyper-speed mode.

ESL Matchmaking is a white label development toolkit that will be featured in R8 Games' anti-gravity racing game, Formula Fusion.

“Indie development has grown in leaps and bounds, continuing to be an area of amazing video game innovation in terms of content, game play and overall creativity. ESL recognizes the potential of indie games and we believe the ESL Matchmaking toolkit will help level the playing field for indies,” said Arne Peters, Vice President of ESL Technology. “While many indie titles are ideally suited for competitive play from a design perspective, sadly that aspect isn’t always an initial priority. Our ESL Matchmaking toolkit makes it quite easy for indie developers to deliver world-class support for competitive gaming without distracting them from their core competency of making amazingly creative games.”

“Teaming up with esports professionals from the world of ESL is a big deal for us. It clearly communicates our ambitions to be the next big thing in anti-gravity racing,” said Andrew Walker, CEO of R8 Games. “ESL Matchmaking will not only fuel the best possible online multiplayer experiences for our fans, but it will also help us focus our resources on game design, development and balancing. We are truly excited about this opportunity and the potential that offering industry-leading esports support brings.”

The ESL Matchmaking toolkit is platform-independent and connects via a web application program interface (API). This allows developers integrating the ESL Matchmaking tool into their games to benefit from advanced skill-based matchmaking features across all game versions and platforms. Developed by ESL and proven over numerous years in ESL’s online tournaments, ESL Matchmaking is now available to every developer of multiplayer video games, regardless of platform or genre.

Currently being developed for PC, with console versions to follow soon afterwards, an early access version of Formula Fusion will be made available through the Steam Store in June 2015.