Italian game developer Milestone has released the trailer for its annual motorcycle racing game, MotoGP 22. Now in its twenty-second year, this entry in the very niche but popular motorcycle racing category of games is based on the license from the FIM World Championship Grand Prix (aka MotoGP).

In conjunction with Dorna Sports, S.L., the commercial rights holder for the sport of MotoGP, Milestone is ushering in the latest installment of the MotoGP franchise with a wealth of new features, animations, enhanced 3D models, race modes, and multiplayer features such as 2-player local split-screen and cross-play via same family consoles.

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MotoGP 2022 will include over 120 official riders, more than 20 official circuits, and 70+ Historic Riders. And while many of the game's usual features will be returning (i.e., Career Mode), Milestone will be including new ones that promise to bring the game to the next level.

A new game mode called (NINE) Season 2009 lets players relive one of the most incredible seasons in MotoGP history. Fans will be able to watch an actual docu-film with over 50 minutes of original footage from the real 2009 MotoGP season. Narrated by Mark Neale, who directed some of the most acclaimed MotoGP documentaries, the mode lets players become part of history as they face challenges as legendary riders like Rossi, Pedrosa, Stoner and Lorenzo.

Milestone is trying to make things easier for newer players with several helpful aids. First, the revised Tutorial teaches the basics of the game through challenges that focus on the bike's electronics, tire wear, and brake temperature as each can impact a bike's performance and whether it can finish a race. MotoGP Academy can improve a player's skill by explaining the secrets to all the curves for each track in the game. Lastly, the Adaptive Difficulty System gives real-time help through in-game pop-up messages suggesting when to modify the game's difficulty level based on a player's actual skill level.

The Managerial Career returns and gives fans the ability to create their own team (or join an official one), pick their staff, and develop their own bikes. Speaking of bikes... five different graphic editors allow players to customize virtually every part of their vehicle, including rider suits. And the new Ride Height Device (RHD) lets riders tweak the bike's suspension in order to lower the center of gravity and increase acceleration.

Perhaps the biggest change to the series will be the inclusion of two new multiplayer features. For the first time, players will be able to challenge friends on the couch via 2-player local split-screen mode. This feature is not supported on the Nintendo Switch version of the game, however. If fans want to jump online and play against each other they can do so through cross-play races between consoles in the same family (PS4 versus PS5, Xbox One versus Xbox Series X|S).

MotoGP 2022 will be released on April 21 for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

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Source: MotoGP 22