VOR: Official Game Set to be a Winner for the Volvo Ocean Race

by Sophie Luther

The wait is over for the fans of the Volvo Ocean Race Game. The extremely popular online game will be back for the next edition of the race, as the contract has now been signed between Volvo Ocean Race S.L.U and UnitedGames, the designers of the Official Game. The game is set to be bigger and better than before with new features being tested already, to improve the technical and tactical elements for the players.

Over 220,000 players participated in the game during the course of the 2008–09 Volvo Ocean Race, with prizes being given on every leg. The overall race winner was Dutch player Powerof7, whose hard work won him a Volvo C30.

The new and improved game will offer players more functionality to steer and manage their virtual Volvo Open 70s and their crew at the same time. Another exciting addition will be the new In-Port racing feature. These improvements and more will be tested prior to the start next year in a Beta version of the game. UnitedGames and Volvo Ocean Race will be looking for volunteers to play this test game, and will be publishing details on how the public can sign up early next year.

Knut Frostad, CEO of the Volvo Ocean Race is very pleased with the continued partnership with UnitedGames. “This is great news for the Volvo Ocean Race, as the Game was a huge success story from the past edition. It caught so many people’s imaginations and got thousands of people hooked into offshore racing. Of course, you can play the game from your home but some of the players were just as sleep-deprived as the crews on the boats; many people took it very seriously indeed. We can’t wait to see the improvements and get the feedback from the fans. I am sure this edition of the game will be even more of a success than the last.”

Marijn Harinck, CEO of UnitedGames, said, “We’re excited about continuing to work with the Volvo Ocean Race. We’re committed to creating an even more engaging challenge for our players this time. The new version of the game will offer tons of new features including advanced weather options, routing options and integrated social media elements such as Twitter. The game will also be playable on social networks as well as on the leading smartphone platforms making it easier for players to stay on the right course.”

The largest online sailing community will set virtual sails again with the Volvo Ocean Race 2011 – 12. Sign up for newsletters announcing key dates for the gamers at http://www.volvooceanrace.com/multimedia/game/

Volvo Ocean Race