Hi everyone and the KW Studios Team, I’ve been a software developer for many years and a passionate simracer. Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about why RaceRoom has such an incredible foundation (sound, physics, diversity) but hasn't yet reached the "mass appeal" or long-term engagement of platforms like iRacing or LFM-based titles. While RaceRoom has a great E-Sport presence (like the official DTM E-Sport), I believe there is a huge, untapped market for the "everyday racer" – the majority of players who want more than just a quick ranked race, but aren't professional E-Sport athletes. Here is a concept for a community-funded, sustainable league system that I would personally support with my own money: 1. The Concept: "Pro-Am Ranked Seasons" (3–6 Months) Instead of short-lived competitions, we need long-term narratives to keep the motivation high over months, not just days. Duration: 3 to 6-month seasons to create a real "championship feeling" and a reason to come back every week. Buy-In Model: A small entry fee (e.g., 5€ - 10€) to join the season. This adds "stakes" and commitment. Supporting the Studio: The pool could be split: one portion goes to KW Studios to fund development (C++, engine updates, servers) and the rest goes into a prize pool (vRP or sponsorship rewards) for the top finishers. 2. Skill-Based Splits & Dedicated Leaderboards The key to success is making everyone feel they have a chance to win something. Division-Specific Leaderboards: Each skill group (Division 1, 2, 3, etc.) needs its own dedicated leaderboard. Seeing yourself at "P5 in Division 4" is much more rewarding than being "P4500 global." Equal Strength: Using the existing Rating/Leaderboard to set the splits ensures that you are always racing against people of similar skill, making every battle on track intense and fair. Promotion/Relegation: At the end of a season, top drivers move up, creating a dynamic journey for every player. 3. Growth through Visibility (Twitch & YouTube) Simracing content lives on stakes. Even if the biggest streamers don't join immediately, RaceRoom could produce its own official broadcasts for these "Community Divisions." Build it and they will come: Professional commentary for "mid-pack" races makes the game relatable. People love watching "one of them" fighting for a Division title. Organic Reach: As players share their Division standings and highlights, the game gains visibility. This creates a narrative that eventually attracts bigger sponsors to boost the prize pools. 4. The DTM & GT Advantage RaceRoom has the official DTM license—a massive USP. A professional-feeling DTM or GT3/GT4 season for the masses, with proper splits and a clear 6-month schedule, would be a unique experience that no other sim offers in this accessible way. My Question to the Community and Devs: Would you be willing to pay a small "entry fee" for a 3-6 month, professionally managed season with skill-based divisions? As a developer, I see so much potential in the technical core of RRRE. I believe a system like this could be the spark that takes the platform to the next level by combining community support with professional competition. Best regards
Hey, always nice to see people think about something. In the DTM eSports stream last week, you could see some screenshots showing an addition to the UI which should be coming in the next weeks - a new championship tab in the ranked multiplayer. (https://forum.kw-studios.com/index.php?threads/the-sherlock-thread.12420/page-52#post-262297) This might be more or less what you described here, with some differences. If you ask me, not all championships should be three to six months long. Driver numbers will decrease with every race, as people just forget what championships are active and they start new ones. The only use case for a championship this long is replicating a real motorsport series. As DTM is converted into an eSports event and WEC races are often replicated in the form of special events, there's not much left for official series that can be replicated one by one with some tracks missing. What I could imagine to be a great move is to replicate seasons from the past, where e.g. races for ADAC GT Masters 2014 take place in the same calendar week as they did twelve years ago. In general, championships over four to six weeks with one race every week seem to be more of what the average RaceRoom driver would invest themselves in. Speaking of investment: no entry fee, full stop. Once you charge an entry fee and state that prices will be sent out to the winning drivers, many people will lose interest. Don't use free combos in championships and they will generate some money. Skill based splits is a no-brainer. I'm unsure about that leaderboard topic. Those who sit on the edge of two divisions will have chances to win something, but those in the middle are just always in the middle. Promotion and relegations based on skill are realised by rating and reputation, which are completely enough if you ask me. We will see what the additional license system will be, I hope for some 'career mode' where you need to earn the permission to drive faster cars by savely finishing races in slower classes (= iRating license system). Broadcasts of special events and eSports are probably the maximum of what can be done with RaceRoom's facilities. And, to be honest, a broadcast every week of some random championship race will turn them into something usual, not something special. I don't think that DTM is a massive USP seen worldwide, but for completely captivating the German community, DTM eSports should contain the complete calendar next season. This year, the technical side of the system was probably not ready, but having the full season next year could actually give a little boost.
Hey, Thanks for the insights! It’s great to hear that a Championship Tab might be on the horizon. Regarding your points, I’ve done some more thinking and I agree on several aspects, though I’d like to offer a different perspective on others: Season Duration & Schedule: I see your point about player retention. However, my thought was to have races every two weeks to accommodate working professionals and parents. If we go with a 3-month season at that pace, we’re only looking at 6 races. This gives each event more weight and prevents "sim-racing burnout." Monetization & Fees: You’re probably right about the entry fees. To keep it accessible and avoid legal/administrative headaches, making it a "Premium Feature" for content owners (e.g., owning the specific car class/tracks) is likely the smarter way to generate revenue without scaring people off. Division System & Promotion/Relegation: I’m fully on board with skill-based splits. However, I believe promotions and relegations should only happen at the end of a season to maintain the integrity of the championship standings. The "Promotion Playoff" Idea: To add some excitement, we could implement a system similar to European football (soccer). Instead of a purely mathematical move, the top drivers from a lower division could face off against the bottom drivers of the higher division in a Promotion/Relegation Playoff event. This would create great "storylines" and high-stakes racing. The USP (Unique Selling Point): While DTM is great, RaceRoom’s real strength lies in its unique classes like WTCR, Group 5, or the Scirocco/TT Cups. Focusing official championships on these "niche" classes would really set R3E apart from the constant GT3 focus of other sims. Looking forward to seeing what the upcoming UI update actually brings to the table!
That would be interesting! Even though I'm not a multiplayer guy I'd definitely think about joining. Modern GT3 line-up became a bit of a stale.
Sounds good! I didn't think about the option to make championship races every two weeks, but that could be a nice move indeed. When the open DTM eSports championship was announced first, I thought about that system as well. When you sign up for the championship, you are put into a certain division in which you will race this championship. However, with aforementioned player retention, you might end up with two drivers in the last race (extreme example, but possible). Having each race count as a normal ranked race (but with championship points) ensures full servers and competitive racing. For community leagues, this can be a great idea, but for official series, this is probably too much effort, right? You'll need to communicate who will be racing where and when and in which split against which drivers... on top of that, I fear that it will not be 'high-stakes racing', but a survival game (especially lower splits), where the fear of being relegated turns people into street fighters.
Thanks for the feedback, @MS_Racer03! You’ve raised some valid points, especially regarding "grid bleed" and the potential for aggressive driving in lower splits. As a software developer, I tend to look at these issues through the lens of system stability and redundancy. Here are my thoughts on how to address your concerns: 1. Solving "Grid Bleed": The Activity-Points System To prevent the series from fizzling out if people drop off, we should reward loyalty. Every driver who completes a race receives fixed "Participation Points" (e.g., 50 pts) on top of their finishing position. Someone who consistently shows up for 3 months could eventually outrank a faster driver who only attended two races. This keeps the motivation high and the grids full until the very last round. 2. Taming the "Street Fighters": Global Incident Tracking To ensure that relegation battles in lower splits don't turn into a demolition derby, we need a long-term "disciplinary record": We track total Incident Points across the entire season. Once a driver hits a threshold of "Global Penalty Points," they receive an automatic ban for the next race or total disqualification from the playoffs. If you want to move up a division, you have to prove you’re safe, not just fast. This adds a layer of accountability that’s missing in standard ranked play. 3. Predictability: The Fixed Relegation Slot The scheduling issue can be solved with straightforward project management. The calendar is locked in from Day 1: Weeks 1-12: Regular Season (one race every two weeks). Week 14: The "Relegation Week" (e.g., P13-P20 of Div 1 vs. P1-P8 of Div 2). By signing up, drivers implicitly "book" this potential finale in their calendar. It’s a fixed milestone that creates massive community engagement and drama, rather than organizational chaos. At the end of the day, it's about building a self-regulating system. By combining Activity Rewards, Long-term Penalties, and Fixed Milestones, we create a robust framework that is predictable for everyone. What do you think? Would these additions help lower the "frustration factor" you're worried about? Edit: Building on the initial concept, I’ve analyzed the current participation trends. With peaks of over 450+ registrations for specific "Weekly" events, the potential is there—it’s just fragmented. To turn this into a long-term, sustainable ecosystem, I propose a structured "Multi-Tier" calendar. The goal: Maximum engagement with minimum entry barriers. 1. The "Skill-Building Wednesday" (Every Wednesday) Format: Fixed Setup, 1-Month Seasons. Focus: Pure skill development. Locking the setups removes the "engineering gap" and forces drivers to focus on lines and consistency. Rotation: Monthly rotation of Cup classes (e.g., June: Alpine Cup (Free), July: Audi TT Cup, August: Mazda MX-5). The Challenge: Occasional "Masterclass" months (e.g., Porsche 911 GT3 Cup) for more experienced drivers. 2. The "Alternating Friday" (High-Stakes Competition) The main stage for professional racing. By rotating classes bi-weekly, we create a "Special Event" atmosphere: Week 1 & 3: DTM (Modern) – The primary crowd-pullers. These are our "Anchor Series." Week 2 & 4: TCR (WTCR) – For the ultimate "Door-Bangers." TCR offers the best wheel-to-wheel racing contrast to the aero-heavy DTM cars. Preparation & Quality: The 14-day rotation allows drivers a full two weeks to master the track and fine-tune their setups. This results in higher racing standards and fewer incidents. 3. Maximizing the "Pro Pack" Value We should market this structure alongside the existing Pro Pack. Even at ~€30 (with the 91% discount), it acts as a "Season Pass" for this entire ecosystem, providing incredible value: Included Cars: TT Cup, Porsche Cup, Mazda MX-5, NSU TT, BMW M4 GT3 (DTM), Opel Calibra (DTM 95). Included Tracks: Zolder, Monza, Bathurst, Zandvoort, Imola. Message: "Invest once in the Pro Pack, and you have a high-quality competitive racing career for the next 12 months." 4. The "Special Event" Pilot (The Roadmap) Whatever the future "Championship Tab" might look like, we don't have to wait for new code to be written. We can test this concept immediately using the existing "Special Events" tab. Zero Dev Risk: Use the current infrastructure to run these series as a "Proof of Concept." No Points Needed (Yet): In the first phase, we don't even need a complex point system. The goal is to monitor registration numbers and see if the community commits to this bi-weekly/monthly rhythm. Blueprint for the Future: If the pilot succeeds, it provides the perfect blueprint for what the dedicated "Championship" system should eventually become. The Logic: By announcing a fixed 3-month roadmap via Special Events, RaceRoom becomes more than just "daily hopping"—it becomes a structured racing career. We aren't asking for more servers; we are asking for a smarter distribution of the existing traffic. What do you think about this idea?
If such a Championship should include a points system and drivers are put into different splits (either by leaderboard, qualification or standings of a previous race), the ones in a lower split (even the number one) should not get more points than the last one of the higher split. Seen in the past drivers mess up their quali (or don't show up) and win everything in the lower splits so that they end up standing above the drivers in the upper splits. And its no fun the the drivers belonging in the lower splits having no chance at all to win a race or get a podium.
That's exactly how championship mode will work, explained by Luca Kita in the DTM eSports pre-show-stream.