Site MapThe New Porsche Mission R Is Ready For Its Close-Up
It’s no secret that the world of motorsports has always been a huge influence on the world of gaming. But at some point, in the future, Porsche might be flipping that trend the other way around.
The appeal of racing games like Forza and Gran Turismo is they allow us to imagine ourselves at the center of a sport that most spectators can only see from afar. For many gamers, authenticity is key, which is why brands today routinely partner with game developers to make sure their winning models are included and accurately portrayed. Doing so has seemed like the best way to put fans in the driver’s seat, at least, up until now. See, Porsche is looking to take the concept of “placing fans virtually in the driver's seat” a step further by turning the Mission R EV into an “interactive fan experience.” Test drivers and racers will showcase all that the Mission R EV has to offer by using mounted cameras, a glass roof, and even a livestream button.
And it certainly has a lot to offer. Porsche unveiled the Mission R earlier this month at the IAA Mobility show in Munich, billing it as a “concept study” and highlighting its combination of sustainability and state-of-the-art technology. The Mission R is an all-electric racer with a body made of natural fiber reinforced plastic, meaning it fits perfectly into Porsche’s ambitious plan to go carbon neutral and 80% electric by 2030.
Racing has certainly gotten more up close and personal in recent years, with popular drivers amassing millions of followers on social media and reality shows like Netflix’s Formula 1: Drive to Survive promising fans an inside look at the sport’s inner workings. And gamers are stepping into the spotlight as well, via Esports competitions and livestreaming platforms like Twitch. So it makes sense for Porsche to go full-circle and turn actual drivers into livestreaming content creators, even putting them behind a steering wheel that was directly inspired by gaming. It allows spectators to keep tabs on the driver using biometric sensors, which can measure physiological reactions in real time and give us a better sense of how our bodies would react to being in the cockpit.
Of course, this concept is far from race-ready, and it’s hard to say when we’ll start seeing these interactive EVs on the track. But it’s clear from the Mission R’s launch that Porsche believes it could eventually be a gamechanger, especially when it comes to the development of drivers’ careers.
Could livestreaming a race mean more fans, followers, and opportunities? And what about those of us watching and playing along? Porsche is looking ahead to a world where gamers could gradually become drivers in their own right, as the line between Esports and motorsports becomes increasingly blurred. The ‘R’ in Mission R stands for revealing, and if Porsche has genuinely conceived a new path forward for racing, it’s an exciting reveal indeed.
