How to get PC2 in 2024?

[Lix]

Wondering how I can snag this game in 2024? Are key resellers a safe bet for buying it? I've got the game already, but I'm looking to gift it to a buddy so we can play together. Family sharing isn't cutting it since we can't play at the same time. Any ideas?

[Fastkill]

Try the bay, at least there is some customers protection, it seems there are a few keys (various editions from standard to deluxe). Just check the seller's rating and the recent comments and you should have an idea whether it is ok to buy from him. There are not a lot of keys available and they are quiet expensive (not full price but almost). You probably will pay less for 2 copies of Automobilista 2 on sale (maybe not with all DLCs) than for a single Pcars 2 copie. On Kinguin there are keys too, at the same prices. Read the comments of the eseller, always.

[CrazyHotti]

I guess multiplayer has been shut down anyways, tell me if i'm wrong.

[Fastkill]

Originally posted by CrazyHotti:

I guess multiplayer has been shut down anyways, tell me if i'm wrong.

Online races are hosted by players, so it can't be shut down and it seems still a bit active. Yesterday there was a GT3 race with a satisfying amount of players, the other races were mostly 2 to 3 players races and private races.

[MrPlowAdv]

I play online races almost every afternoon, in GT3/GTE races with 12 to 16 players

[⚛◉⚛]

You can try wrting a petition to Electronic Arts asking them why did they kill such a wonderful racing simulator. I still can not understand all this. I bought this game before delisting and feel very sorry for the whole game industry.

[Crow]

Originally posted by Pikachu:

You can try wrting a petition to Electronic Arts asking them why did they kill such a wonderful racing simulator. I still can not understand all this. I bought this game before delisting and feel very sorry for the whole game industry.

car licensing innit? can't legally sell it anymore and can't pay hundreds of thousands on renewed licenses for a game barely anyone new buys.

[Fastkill]

Originally posted by Pikachu:

You can try wrting a petition to Electronic Arts asking them why did they kill such a wonderful racing simulator. I still can not understand all this. I bought this game before delisting and feel very sorry for the whole game industry.

EA doesn't have anything to do with this game... Bandai Namco is the publisher.

[⚛◉⚛]

Originally posted by Fastkill:

EA doesn't have anything to do with this game...

Originally, Project CARS 2 was published by Bandai Namco Entertainment in the year 2017. The game was developed by the Slightly Mad Studios. In November 2019 Slightly Mad Studios was bought by Codemasters, the price of the deal was about 30 millions of US dollars. In February 2021 Codex Games Limited, a subsidiary of Electronic Arts, purchased the Codemasters, i.e. Slightly Mad Studios now became a part of the Electronic Arts. Slightly Mad Studios were developing the fourth part of the series when Electronic Arts decided to shut the franchise down in the year 2022.

Electronic Arts shuts down Project Cars // Nov 8, 2022
https://www.polygon.com/23447447/project-cars-canceled-shut-down-ea-electronic-arts-codemasters

[Fastkill]

Originally posted by Pikachu:

Originally posted by Fastkill:

EA doesn't have anything to do with this game...

Originally, Project CARS 2 was published by Bandai Namco Entertainment in the year 2017. The game was developed by the Slightly Mad Studios. In November 2019 Slightly Mad Studios was bought by Codemasters, the price of the deal was about 30 millions of US dollars. In February 2021 Codex Games Limited, a subsidiary of Electronic Arts, purchased the Codemasters, i.e. Slightly Mad Studios now became a part of the Electronic Arts. Slightly Mad Studios were developing the fourth part of the series when Electronic Arts decided to shut the franchise down in the year 2022.

Electronic Arts shuts down Project Cars // Nov 8, 2022
https://www.polygon.com/23447447/project-cars-canceled-shut-down-ea-electronic-arts-codemasters

Indeed, the IP is Codemasters property which became EA's property. But there was no decision to shut down the game ; it hadn't be shot down, just unavailable for purchase due to licensing contracts coming to their end as previously stated. You are still able to play the game and use the online services which are P2P based, no server based. It is a usual fact with racing games, just think about all the Codemasters' (or other companies) racing games which aren't available for purchase anymore. It's not an EA thing. To be able to keep on selling the game, all cars should have to be redone, reshaped, rebranded with fictional names, or to pay for the multiple lincenses for some time. Both are expensive solutions and probably not able to generate enough revenues. World Racing 2 Steam version did receive an update to reshaped the cars but the modding possibilities and the open world are its main appeal, making it quiet unique, so it makes sense.

What should also be mentionned is that maybe licensing contracts were short because of SMS's greediness, as long before it was acquired by Codemasters, had abandoned the game, with unfinished features, and had stopped paying the fee for the real weather feature. This ridiculous shameful last move tells everything. Nothing to do with EA, which already has its own griefs.

[⚛◉⚛]

Originally posted by Fastkill:

It is a usual fact with racing games

No. I am able to play on LAN being offline in my old racing games which were abandoned by their developers long ago.

Originally posted by Fastkill:

Nothing to do with EA, which already has its own griefs.

Then why did EA shut down all the servers related only to the second part of the franchise ? Why is first Project CARS game still available on Steam ? This looks very strange. It looks like EA did this deliberately to stop the rival studio from competition on the racing simulators market.

[VirginLamb]

probably not helpful but they have forgotten to remove the first game from oculus store

[_______NICO__]

Originally posted by VirginLamb:

probably not helpful but they have forgotten to remove the first game from oculus store

i cant find it there, thanks anyways .... Any real related answer ? or most of them still talking about "why the game is gone?" ... Very anoying to read empty answers

[⚛◉⚛]

Hello, Nico.

You can try communicating with Bandai Namco Entertainment company directly. Steam will not help you. This is the best what I can suggest.

Unfortunately, in the year 2024 companies publish computer games in a digital way. So, there is no warehouse with optical disks available where you could go and buy a disk from the shelf as it was about 20 years ago in 2004.

Moreover, the so-called "DRM" protection in this game is tied up to the Steam account. This is a huge mistake of game developers to make games tied up to a single platform only. So, now it is impossible to activate and use the digital purchases on Steam without Steam account.

All these negative effects are a consequence of the way how Steam and other digital markets work.

The only way to fix this problem is to stop sponsoring digital DRM evil and buy games either on GOG-like platforms which provide DRM-less products or buy games on optical disks which are very rare today.

There is, however, a third option, but it is very difficult to achieve. We can create our own world with our own games sold on optical DVD and BluRay disks, as it was 10 or 20 years ago. This variant requires a lot of efforts of thousands of people working in different fields – from programmers and artists to simple managers.