Formula Legends is Art of Rally Meets F1

Italian studio 3DClouds has revealed Formula Legends, an Art of Rally-inspired take on arcade-style, open-wheel racing that pays (unlicensed) tribute to over 50 years of Formula 1 racing.

3DClouds gave IGN an early look at how the game is shaping up and, while elements like AI behaviour are still being honed, the level of commitment to recreating a variety of eras of F1 is already very impressive.

Formula Legends will feature 16 car models, each with seven different liveries. The cars may be chunky, toy-style caricatures of the real things but, clad in their off-brand odes to some of the most iconic racecar designs in history, the inspiration behind each one is very clear. Sound has been a big focus for the team, which is good to hear considering how crucial that is to the identity of older F1 cars especially. Formula Legends will also feature modding support – from liveries to helmets and trackside sponsors – which has the potential to be quite a boost.

Speaking of tracks, each of the 14 circuits will have multiple variations to reflect how they’ve evolved over the years, from the ’70s to the 2020s. These too are inspired by real-life locations.

Formula Legends’ story mode sounds particularly promising, with era-based championships set to take us on a tour through the defining moments of F1’s high-speed history.

There sounds like there’ll be quite a bit of nuance to the racing, too. Not only will each of the 200 drivers in Formula Legends (including the cheekily-named Mike Shoemaker and current championship leader Osvald Pastry) have skill perks to consider, but tyre wear, fuel consumption, rubbered-in racing lines, damage, and dynamic weather will also all be factors. How 3DClouds ultimately blends these deeper elements with an otherwise accessible arcade approach will be interesting to learn.

Producer Francesco Mantovani explained that the team took inspiration from 2023’s New Star GP (which itself is an F1-themed throwback to early 3D racing games) but wanted something that was a little less outright arcade-oriented for Formula Legends.

“We tried to move it in line between New Star GP and Art of Rally, in terms of gameplay,” said Mantovani. “Art of Rally was the main inspiration we took for this game. We appreciate how they worked on the camera and on the tracks.”

3DClouds’ history of racing games has admittedly trended towards licensed racing games for a far younger audience (including games like Paw Patrol Grand Prix, Fast & Furious: Spy Racers, and Hot Wheels Monster Trucks: Stunt Mayhem) but Formula Legends is described as a true passion project for the studio, which it has created entirely independently.

“I think it’s a game that they’ve been wanting to make for a really, really long time, and finally we have the resources to do it,” confirmed executive producer Roberta Migliori, noting the studio’s work-for-hire history has set it up just as F1’s popularity continues to soar. “With the increasing popularity of the sport and the strong passion, it just seemed like the right moment. The game is completely self-funded thanks to other games we’ve worked on.”

3DClouds being located in Milan, just a short drive from Monza (Formula 1’s legendary Temple of Speed and the third purpose-built race track ever built) probably hasn’t hurt, either.

Formula Legends will launch on Xbox One and Series X|S, PS4 and PS5, PC, and Switch later this year. The team does not currently have Switch 2 kits, but Migliori confirmed they will “look into that opportunity as soon as we are ready.”

Luke is a Senior Editor on the IGN reviews team. You can track him down on Bluesky @mrlukereilly to ask him things about stuff.