The Motorsport Games Scam Explained
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- Опубликовано: 21 авг 2024
- A group of Eastern European sociopaths dupe investors into giving them money to acquire useless or unprofitable companies, pocket huge salaries while roleplaying as CEO's for said useless companies, and then perform a final pump-&-dump to wash their hands of everything. For 20 years, it went unnoticed.
Some guy who races a lightly modified Pontiac Sunfire figured it out in an evening, which is both hilarious and sad.
You know It's pretty bad when Nascar fans are asking for EA to make a new game considering how bad their product was back in 2009 when EA lost their lisence for nascar games
You know its pretty bad when Racing company's are trying to get their licences back.
if ea makes a new nascar game i will kill myself.
@@peegeeare no balls
@@peegeearedo it for the vine
The CEO should be arrested and held accountable for this.
Hopefully I'm wrong, but I imagine people already would have if there was a way to go about it with the execs facing long-term repercussions.
We know that law doesn't work the same for everyone. Enough said.
Hope this whole series blows up, Motorsport games has to be investigated asap
God, these would be the guys I would be working for more than 1 year ago if I accepted the offer to work in rF2 time ago. Didn't accepted on the time because I always improved and improved as a modder and content creator thanks to people who shared their work for free and taught me in exchange of nothing, and I just love to have my private mods as a hobby with no more pretension as that. I do exactly that with pleasure in the F1C community.
Thanks to that decision, months later, I was hired by another videogame company (way bigger) and then... well, how lucky I was. I couldn't be happier. Wouldn't leave that company even if I won the lottery.
And want to remind again, a part of it is thanks to you and your knowledge about spotting what's not right in sim-racing.
Some great journalism here. As you've mentioned before, a lot of this information is readily available, but to gather it all together, connect the dots and present it all in such a coherent way is pretty impressive. I do wonder what all this means regarding the future of Studio397 though.
@DJ Moose They didn't release anything. They updated their existing content. There's a few FE tracks you can buy
@DJ Moose Gen 2 FE car was released in April 2019 and it gets yearly updates. They also do a few new FE tracks per year. The 2022 update was released last week. But these yearly updates are all free if you own the gen 2 car
this guy was paid to not hate project cars
@@nate567987 who?
@@PandyTimBR the video maker
On the next episode of Liars, Thieves, and Lawyers...
Also love how the background footage is the 2004 Jaguar just to show how far back this really goes.
This was the AC SRS race tonight lol
Where Slap at?
@@JimmyProductions DAMN RIGHT!?!?
I hope S397 makes it out of this alive. I really enjoy the GT500 cars in rF2 and would hate to see the sim get sucked into a black hole of corporate malfeasance.
Yeah, S397 deserves all the greatness for the quality content they put out for RF2, and the community that keeps it alive.
rF2 should have never gotten out of the hands of ISI.
At least I understand better now why rF2 has been that everlasting construction side it actually is...
@@MrBrno true
@@MrBrno true
Killing it Austin, great work. I'm hoping that NASCAR/IndyCar give the rights to multiple companies so we get multiple games on the market. The last time this happened, was 2002 when we had the Thunder Series & Dirt to Daytona. Competition between companies produces better games.
Sadly, it's not a simple as just "giving" the rights to someone. We might not have a NASCAR game for several years at this point because they'll be reluctant to work with ANY developer. And then you actually have to build the game.
@@AustinOgonoski exactly. That’s what I’ve been telling people. When Motorsport Games falls, no one is touching the NASCAR license nor the other racing series. iRacing will be the only way to play up to date NASCAR
@@red6605 fr
@@red6605 Hell, that might be the way to go for NASCAR itself. The iRacing team at least originally was made up of a lot of the old Papyrus people, and iRacing did sneak an almost full fledged IndyCar game into iRacing
@@red6605 Yeah and since iRacing bought monster games, I'm sure they'll have a NASCAR game come out soon after their World of Outlaws game
I was sceptical when they swooped in from nowhere and announced all of the licenses they were going to work with, but I thought the S397 acquisition and use of their tech would have provided a good base to work from. Their NASCAR game release certainly didn't show evidence of that. I'd love for Reiza Studios to get access to these licences, it'd be a massive win for a passionate and highly talented team. Renato hinted at "something" to do with Le Mans with one of his usual whistling emojis on the forums recently.
Hopefully indycar can pull out of the contract and find a dev worth a damn to make their game
Now I'm saying this as a massive iRacing supporter, but they might be the best to go towards, if they can fit the time. They recently announced a console game for the World Of Outlaws series, which races on dirt ovals. It'll use their new Monster Games studio that they recently acquired. iRacing and IndyCar have already partnered before to get the IR-18 IndyCar before it's IRL debut, and the Aero-screen on the IR-18 before it's IRL debut (if my facts are right), and they are rescanning and rebuilding IMS as I type this.
As for NASCAR, they already have a partnership. I could see them going further to have a real arcade title.
As for BTCC and WEC? Now that's to be seen. I'd like to see each of those get a title, but maybe they'll steer away from any exclusive rights deals for a long time to come.
Also, devs need to stop doing exclusive rights deals.
@@johndin100 I feel like if S397 can pry themselves out of this they might partner with WEC considering the VLMS is solely on rF2 and BTCC has some cars in rF2 as well
@@johndin100 sigh. today is a sad day for the ir18
There should be a documentary on Netflix about this just like the Tinder Swindler
You nailed it 8 months ago. Read the news today and immediately remembered your video.
Im starting to think EA would've handled NASCAR 21 better than Motorsports Games
I've said it once, I'll say it again: Stock car racing/NASCAR gaming enthusiasts need to band together to make our own stock car "Sandbox" of sorts.
While it most definitely won't be able to be branded officially, let's base it around the history of Stock car/NASCAR racing. Much like how games such as Beam NG Drive, Wreckfest, and even GTA has their own makes and models, we could make our own automobile brands based on the usual big 3 or 4 in NASCAR at any given time. (Leaving it open to modders to add in actual licensed cars as free mods would be a big part in making this work as well.)
Bringing in the best features from NASCAR and maybe even other motorsports tiles over the years. Career, Paint booth, Team ownership, Actual silly seasons with drivers who can retire and move from team to team, ONLINE PLAY (That works), Challenge modes, etc etc... I have so many more ideas I could list but the key here would be to have enough a grounded realistic experience to give you emersion, while still being arcadey enough to be easy and fun enough to pick up and play. It's important to balance the sim-cade feel and give enough options for players to get the kind of experience they want. More on the arcade side, or more on a simulation side (While not going too heavy handed on the hobbyist simulator side of things. That would be more iRacings deal.)
Think combining Thunder, Dirt to Daytona/heat, and bits of the Papyrus games while also modernizing it with new features and keeping it open to modders to let the sandbox experience keep going over the years, growing with the sport. As rules, tracks, cars, and even drivers change: So can the sandbox.
This also opens it up for many eras of racing. From the early generations to modern day. Tracks could even have different configurations based on the age of the track, oval vs road course... This would also fit in with the different eras of NASCAR.
Think Atlanta for a really good example; It's had at least 3 major configurations: Oval, Tri-oval, baby superspeedway. Not only that, but you could race Atlanta as it was in the late 90's/early00's when the surface was new, or right up to the point recently where it was all worn out and drivers loved it. Options people. We want OPTIONS.
Making this a sandbox leaves it open for everyone to get the experience they want. If you want a Racing experience with heart, who better to do it than the community that has so much love and passion for not only the sport, but the games that may have gotten us into it in the first place.
I would be willing to help.
@@jimmielogano nascar thunder 04 pc by isi
This is such a good idea since all the Nascars are really just the same with cosmetic body changes
Yeah NASCAR might add arca mode too
I was the creator of the Gen 6 Stock Car mod in BeamNG.Drive (You can see videos of it on my channel) and while it isn't my best work, it's a start. I'm planning on adding tons of NASCAR content to that game. Since BeamNG.Drive is the most realistic driving sandbox, it's the perfect game for what you mentioned, and exactly why I am doing it.
Dmitry Kozko's Linkedin Bio:
"Shareholders secret weapon"
Make of that what you will lol
You know what I like this
If they fail, it means we ain’t gonna get anymore crap nascar games
until the next lowest bidder picks up the license and shits out another one...
Ok here me out. Both NASCAR and Indycar pull their licenses and use their connections with iRacing and their new ventures in the console market to produce actually playable console experiences that the fans want
I would actually be surprised if this didn't happen tbh. Let's see how their new console dirt does in the summer.
BTCC fans have waited 24 years for a new game (Look it up) and now this happens...
Wow. Just wow.
They lost a license and might be losing nascar and Indycar too. Come on let this happen.
I just hope Studio 397 is sold off to some sort of competent software house and not liquidated in a bankruptcy.
It's good that NASCAR and other series are realizing Motorsport Games isn't who they initially thought they were and trying to pull out hopefully iRacing and Monster Games can take over and save us
Save me at 12$ per month and 12$ per car.
Fuck Iracing garbage payment system
This aged well.
My boy Austin over here doing something that someone should have done a long time ago. Excellent work bro.
The best thing about NASCAR ignition was it had a cool demo commercial that was it because the game sucked and thousands demanded their money back days after its release
IT’S WHAT THEY, CAME TA, DO!
Bro I learn so much from these 😂 not only about the controversies and issues with gaming companies, but about business too
so i just remembered this but thought i would mention this- msg is part of a larger group of companies called the motorsport network- this group includes companies such as- motorsport games, motorsport tv, and autosport English
Does someone at this company have a popcorn side business? I feel like someone there has to have one; there's big money to be made here.
Happy to see someone's talking about this.
This company is a disgrace. I hope they aren’t on Live Fasts cars anymore since there are now exposed as a complete scam and Nascar can actually find a legitimate company to make a game that Nascar needs.
The sad part is the top brass will likely come out of this continuing to smell like roses.
I think you underestimate just how illegal many things mentioned in this video are.
@@AustinOgonoski I'd love to be wrong and see these shit-sacks end up in a court of law answering for this behavior.
I hope that S397 can get out of their agreement with Motorsport Games ASAP, before it starts damaging the quality of future RF2 content.
Your apititude for cutting through the crap is something else, that's insane. I wonder how Studio 397 function today, they're still active to a point, can funding through sales, DLC be enough to keep a team of developers/marketing. There are really credible, individuals associated,( Paul Jeffrey ?). Grim, if they've all been stitched up by this awful sleight of hand, surely, hopefully they have a B plan and they'll be reacquired by someone less cynical.(Codies for instance 😂),,,
Dude don't even think about involving codies...
They have been just bought by EA, and EA is in charge of F1 from 2022 onwards.
Codies doesn't have a good, stable multiplayer platform, and they have been workign on it for 10 years.
F1 2021 launched in a state where you would get in a lobby, and everyone would be de-sync'd (basicly where you see your opponents is actually not true, so imagine you overtake your opponent, but on their game, you just punted them into Narnia, because they were not in the position that was visible on your game). They even had the same issue occur live during their 2020 esports series, where 1 of the 2 drivers fighting for the lead had no idea that his opponent was there, since his opponent wasn't even visible on his screen!!
They took months to fix that. Then, last week, they bring out a patch that is supposed to not have anything to do with multiplayer, AND THEY MANAGED TO BRING THE DE-SYNC ISSUES BACK!!
Racing leagues have had no choice but to suspend their races for example.
It's been 9 months since the game launched.
Yeah the games are great for someone who plays casually. But those people aren't the ones who give life to the game
@@racebug6134 so many people are quick to bring codies into the talk when it comes to making a racing game when codies only just got good in the last year or so and still have major issues like you mentioned. it's what pisses me off the most when people start hating on the ignition 21 game, it's the first game on a new engine. codies has been on the same engine for 10 years and still havnt fully figured it out why yall mentioning them but bashing a team that's their first year out regardless of what the parent company is doing behind the scenes
I was being ironic guys re. Codemasters obviously we don’t want their bs either even it’s not quite as illegal
All the licenses they had should just be spread between multiple companies, so we get like 2-3 games for each series a year. I don’t think codies could do that because they can’t really make games that well, I know that they didn’t have a lot of money for this but the graphics for F1 2015-2018 looked ANCIENT and they don’t look much better now, they ignore new additions to current tracks just because it’s easier to use track scans or models from 10 years ago. And the fact that they’re getting their hands on the WRC license as well worried me because the devs who had it before(kylotonn) were actually doing a good job that got slightly better each year. I’m kinda afraid that codies might just throw everything that’s ever been good about them away. I know that Racebug was joking but codies haven’t been the good guys ever. They should give the licenses to studios that care and are willing to put the time and work in for each game and support the game for a long time after launch. I’m not sure who that would be but there has to be some studios that could make these.
Just found out about this fiasco.....really sad for all the motorsports fan who were really looking forward to play it. Those CEOs need to get arrested!
Wow a very well done piece indeed. Bravo Austin!
So do you think this company will crash and burn and if so then what's next for Nascar games on consoles? Do you think EA could ever take another swing at that?
Given that EA just bought codemasters who are doing the f1 games, that’s a massive possibility
EA better keep their grubby hands off. Madden is enough
So the good news is Motorsports games are losing the licenses. Hopefully they get sued and dipshit loses his car collection.
I'm loving this series, some great research and journalism.
I have a feeling, and this just hit my recommended today (or last night), that a lot of people in these communities are about to see, or have seen, this video.
This is going to be a wild ride.
Im surprised at this point that the company isn't facing any punishments from the SEC.
Wish codemasters (Technically ea) would get rights back to Nascar games. Look at where they have gotten with the F1 games
Keep up the great work!
They also have big ads at Whilton Mill kart circuit in the UK but wow, I can imagine your face as you got deeper into this.
Wow and look at the INDY Car episode happening now with Iracing, this is all very bizarre
Austin, you're doing some great work on RUclips. I miss PRC, but this is great as well. I do have a question. iRacing hasn't released the Next Gen Car for AI races as of yet. Is this due to Motorsport Games agreement with NASCAR?
Thanks for this. Very enlightening. I was one of those bobbleheads that simply wouldnt read the writing on the wall and preordered a few days before release despite all the red flags and now I have an expensive game in my PS4 library that I hate to play, will never get my money back for and I will be EXTREMELY hesitant to buy anything from MSG again. I was fooled by my own naivety.
Why didn't you listen to the red flags?
@@AustinOgonoski Some of us just couldn't believe it would be THIS bad.
I'm a Switch gamer so I didn't have a stake in the fight, but just as an observer, I had a hard time believing that even at their worst, it would be an unplayable abomination on this level.
Motorsport Games is a scam like Dale Jr. Dale Jr has 300 million and Motorsport Games has 80 million* fans but not once did they ever give us nutritious popcorn.
In all seriousness, this situation is pretty sad, and I do hope NASCAR and Indycar will one day have decent games, one can hope but I'm probably asking for too much. Will probs have to settle for the nutritious popcorn....
What's shady af is why Nascar and Indycar would associate themselves with a shady company? I get their interest in doing nfts, but couldn't they have done it themselves, and perhaps use real photos as opposed to working with a company that's the Angela's Motorsports of thr gaming industry
@@RCMgb Very similar to Theranos. Once a couple of big names jumped on board (Alonso, for example), it gave the company instant credibility. Same reason Holmes went and hired General Mathis for her board of directors.
@Austin Ogonoski I'm surprised Kozko didn't jump ship early. Load up the firm with debt, get S397 so fool people into thinking you'll actually make decent prodicts, give drivers T shirts to wear, and then whilst the company's massively overvalued, flog your shares and run away. Perhaps Kozko is trying to pocket as much as possible until they go bankrupt, he takes the profits, but it's the firm and not him that's accountable for the debt.
Either way you've done some incredible digging, you could probably make a career out of this!
@@RCMgb Kozko I imagine believed sim racing was a sleepy little industry where he could just "hang out" and run a more subdued version of the net element scheme, generating smaller $$$ for him spread over a longer period. The Net Element stuff was *too* obvious and played with *too big* numbers. Running a little sim racing studio and saying feel-good things during interviews + investor calls was a lot lower risk.
It's literally dumb luck that he dove into NASCAR gaming of all things, where fans are extremely pissed off and autistic even on the best of days, resulting in the business venture not only crashing spectacularly hard, but fans being bored enough to start digging.
@@AustinOgonoski Perhaps it would be too obvious to jump just after the IPO? With the company in the state it is, probably wouldn't have been a bad idea to actually try and make a decent product, might have even made more money that way, legally too!
Wow, just wow. Thanks for the good reporting.
If their IndyCar title proves to be a wash, I think we'll see even more damage to, and maybe the decline, of Motorsports Games. I only say this, because there's a growing international contingent demanding a good IndyCar game. On almost every IndyCar related video, I see multiple posts begging for a game.
The Indycar game isnt coming lol
@@AustinOgonoski Proof?
@@AustinOgonoski Other than "trust me bro "
@@SocialAutism A big channel is going to cover the story, and austin provided PDFs and proof.
great video once again just found this channel a few weeks ago and i have been loving every vid
“This is General Lee how it operates” 😮
So...how have these people not been investigated for outright fraud?
If this video circulates among the right circles, might happen sooner than you'd think.
Because the FTC/IRS don't actually investigate companies properly any more. Unless you specifically steal from wealthy, politically-connected individuals (like Bernie Madoff or Elizabeth Holmes did), nothing is likely to happen.
@@AustinOgonoski MSGM is based in Russia, no chance.
@@Dexter037S4 they are publicly traded in America, big difference in motive to investigate which im sure they are already and have already been under which is why Nascars probably been so silent this whole time.
The entire board of directors at Motorsport Games have resigned 🙃
I can’t believe nascar is still letting them handle their licensing for games. It’s crazy they have dale Jr and iRacing just sitting there ready to go and just don’t use them
I actually have a picture taken in a net element 458 at limerick. Didn't know the backstory on that sponsor. Good vid
Maybe Motorsport Games Heads will end in Miami Bay as shark food?
I was wondering what was going on but that makes perfect sense.
iracing announced they lost the indycar license. no more official race server with any indycar at any track from the irl indycar calendar. well played sir.
So who’s a realistic pick to make the nascar or indycar games
When I play NHL 21, the EA intro features a checkered flag waving. I know that could be a symbol of their past, but maybe the future too?
either iRacing (with Motorsport Games making the console versions)... or EA (codemasters/SMS)... or we could dream of Reiza?
@@DjFIL007 its iracing with Monster games as devs not motorsports games.
This is the first time I’ve heard of this
I need that world of outlaws game to come out 😂
They managed to scam Fernando Alonshole, so I will always have a tiny little bit of respect for them.
This makes me sad, I was really having high hopes for rF2. Its my favourite SIM by quite a margin.
I just got raceroom. rF2 is one of the only other sims I'd be able to run right now if i got it. Hopefully it survives
It took me way too long to realise you weren't talking about racing games but a company called Motorsport Games
Good research my man going to spread this video
great journalism, it's surprising these guys aren't in jail
Yesterday, I called MSGM to find out if they patched their Ignition. The lady that was manning the phone (no pun) would pass along my concerns. I am not holding my breath.
Best Nascar Game back then = Papyrus , Best Indycar back then = Papyrus. Nothing came ever close again from a paid title. Papyrus became Iracing and the other brands and games that came out with a nascar and Indycar game were just awful and it won't change
4:08 wait I KNEW that something was fishy with Traxion lmfao. Glad to be proven right
I knew that upcoming IndyCar video game would be too good to be true...should've known better. At least I didn't have any stock in them.
Am I looking at a different company here? Isn't it under the Motorsport Network headed by Chairman Zak Brown?
I think Zak is the chairman now but it was started by a different guy years back.
@@AustinOgonoski The original company was formed in 1994, if anything it's a motorsports/automotive venture capital company. Once they bought Haymarket Media Motorsports division in 2016 is when they started getting big.
Zak Brown, Fernando Alonzo and others are all deeply involved in this.
Kosko is probably just the fall guy.
Zak Brown left the company years ago
Fyi motorsport games is on rfactor2 racing game as well.
would be interesting what you would think about the new game, Rennsport which i heard also have a weird ceo
Money for nothing and chicks for free.
Damn Zak Brown's only NEC. Wish he had a more influential role. He's a smart man. We might be able to convince him to step down. Edit: Of Motorsport Network according to Wikipedia.
Im glad I didnt give them any of my 80 hard earned bucks.
was announced the btcc game is offically delayed
Why doesn't sony and the guys behind forza get the license to these series?
It’s a shame because Motorsports games got the license to make the official WEC game with Le Mans. It was probably destined to be just as shit as Nascar Heat 5.
It will never be made.
Imagine if NASCAR, IndyCar, BTCC, etc had given their license to a developer like Reiza. Anyone in the sim racing community could have pointed to a great many reputable start-up companies to do their product good.
That's what I've been saying, imagine Indycar Racing 2024, by Reiza Studios
There is still hope...
TBH Reiza's last hit was Automobilista 1.
I would prefer Sector3 or Kunos getting licenses, as AC, ACC and R3E are my favourite sims to drive and both AC and R3E provide great touring car experience.
NOW I get why this game looks worse than NASCAR Thunder 2003, and plays worse than any other racing game I've seen - short of a few small indie titles.
What pisses me off about it all, is that 397 was an amazing company, but they entirely took over the entire studio as far as I understand. Given all this news about how terrible of a company MSG is and always has been, it makes me sad for stuff like rF2 or hopes for anything good like rF2 from the studio ever again. I have 0 trust for MSG after the NASCAR game, and will probably never buy one of their products because of it. Everything good gets ruined, and I'm so tired of it
everyone needs to send their copies of nascar 21 ignition to austin or some other big nascar youtuber, and they need to burn them all in a big pile, take a picture, and make an NFT of the mf, i knew this game and company was a joke from the start.
I was looking forward for BTCC sooo badly. I am disappointed😞
Who's putting money on this know it's a scam. It's probably a money laundry scheme :)
Aren't their designers in Russia? I hope they patched the Ignition game. If not, patch it in USA as well as search through the code to make sure there isn't anything embedded for future chaos.
You know who else wins…iRacing
I love when streamers act like they didn't have a hand in people buying the games or hyping up a game they knew might not be good
they allince with nascar team Live Fast Motorsports
brilliant so realistically were not gonna have a new nascar game for at least another 18 months, 2 year sorta time peroid.....was looking foward to the indycar game too !!!!😔
Bye bye WEC game.
Rfactor fanboys seem to be in denial about this. Everything is fine meme.......
Imagine if codemasters developed a nascar snd indycar game
Buggy half assed shit like every other EA product
well they were the ones that developed the last indycar game in 2005
rusa pobea begins
Nice video and journalism, shame about the r bomb
What's an r-bomb?
Yo Austin, Stephen Hood the ex(???)-President of Motorsport Games has a very dotted history and if you look him up you see his wife Viktoriia Hood (known as Vita Viktoriia on socials) is running a crowdfunding for Ukraine.. despite not being in Ukraine. Nothing immediately underhanded and possibly still in good intentions but based on Stephen's history alone this could be another scam. I understand that they claim to have family in Zaporizhzhia but Motorsport Games was Russia-backed. All so damn dodgy!
At this point polyphony (developers of gran turismo) or the developers of pcars need to make a Nascar game.both franchises either had license to Nascar (gran turismo) or a replica of a Nascar stock car (pcars) because at this point we the Nascar gaming fans are tired of shitty games with 21 being the worst game of all time.
nascar 21 is the worst game ever and its made by MG
It’s 2022 Austin, you can’t say the R word anymore I would edit that out if you want to be taken seriously in today’s climate otherwise phenomenal job as always!
To be fair, they propped up $MULN, so they made me money. I don't hate this.
Gotta watch the video further my man. Mullen is worthless and being investigated for violating securities law lol
@@AustinOgonoski oh, I watched. I watched the whole thing. Don't get me wrong, not a fan of them at all, but if they kept MULN on life support for the pump and dump triple my money run, they did right by me 1 of 2 times
Ea just needs to get the nascar license back. Everything went downhill after nascar 09 which was one of the best online racing experiences for console ever
Nooooo do not give it to EA its going to be filled with micro transactions bugs, and a half finished product look at the madden games or battlefield 2042 if NASCAR goes back to ea it won’t be the same as it was 15-20 years ago
Can we just have Eutechnyx back
Eutechnyx died after 2015 because they were a shit company and the games are overrated and never improved after inside line.
@@ZIGAG1999 true but it’s better than this at least the games were actually playable
@@ILikeRice88924 i wouldn't say that. if i'm correct all of them launched filled with bugs and glitches the worst ones being ntg 2011 and nascar 14. nascar 15 is bad on pc.
@@ZIGAG1999 I guess I was wrong then sorry about that
yeah, i’m with ZIGAG, and i’ll add this, the only reason Eutechnyx NASCAR titles are overrated and fondly remembered is due to people having a bad case of nostalgia and i’m willing to bet that not many have touched these games for years.