OutRun Online Arcade. Victims of digital distribution
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OutRun from 1986 is one of the most famous arcade games in the world, whose influence on the car genre is echoed in almost every modern arcade representative of the genre – from Need for Speed, through Burnout, to Forza Horizon. Although the series never managed to gain the same popularity on home gaming systems as it did on arcades, it saw several decent console conversions and sequels. OutRun Online Arcade was among the most interesting of these.
Released in April 2009 on Xbox 360 and PS3, the game from Sumo Digital (Team Sonic Racing, Crackdown 3, new entries in Forza series) was based on OutRun 2 from 2003 and OutRun 2006: Coast to Coast, but offered a handful of new features and improvements. With ten licensed Ferrari cars, we got 15 different routes, and the graphics were quite good for that era. There was also a lot emphasis on multiplayer.
The game garnered good reviews from the press and was met with acclaim from fans, but did not secure long-term success. In October 2010, less than a year after its release, OutRun Online Arcade was removed from the PlayStation Store, and a year later, it also disappeared from the Xbox Marketplace. The reason for the game being withdrawn from sale so quickly was the expiration of Sega's deal with Ferrari.
