MotoGP 22 is launching today on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch. Italian developer Milestone has worked hard to introduce something new this year and – on top of fresh, hyper-realistic gameplay features on track – that includes NINE mode, an interactive documentary that allows players to relive the legendary MotoGP season 2009.
Ahead of the game’s April 21 release, GLHF had the chance to talk with NINE director Mark Neale, also known for Faster, Faster & Faster (starring Ewan McGregor), Fastest, and Hitting the Apex, co-produced with Brad Pitt. Neale offered insights about what makes video games unique, compared to more traditional documentaries, and detailed the most complex and peculiar sides of his experience on MotoGP 22. Of course, as a MotoGP fan, he also briefly discussed how it feels to watch a grand prix without Valentino Rossi, now that he’s officially retired.
The idea of working on a documentary for and in a video game, how was it born?
Mark Neale: Milestone contacted me in 2019 and we met at the Misano GP. It was the weekend of the esports finals, which were being held in a special area in the paddock. I saw video gamers walking around dressed like MotoGP riders. The line between video game and reality started blurring then and there.
NINE was Michele Caletti’s concept. He and Matteo Pezzotti had a plan for the game before I started writing the script. We began working together in late 2020. At that point, it was not obvious what NINE would be but we knew it was a solid idea. It was the best kind of project: great people to work with and only one rule – make it good.
You’ve worked on so many documentaries over the years, but NINE is set to be a “one of a kind experience” blurring the lines between game and reality. Any difference compared to your previous experiences?
One of my favorite projects was U2i, a video game for U2 which I designed in the ‘90s. It didn’t work because the technology was too primitive (but it would work now…).
What’s exciting is the possibility of connecting with the characters, whether U2 or MotoGP riders, in a way that – although it is obviously not real – gives you a new and powerful experience of real events.
Is there anything specific you wanted to make sure to achieve with NINE, also considering you’re exploring a new medium?
If we’ve done our job, you should feel like you’re closer to the rider’s experience than when you’re watching a film or playing a conventional video game.
Of course there’s a limit to how close you can get to the rider’s experience. Valentino Rossi described a big crash as ‘like twenty people kick you at the same time.’ If you want more realism, you could always get some friends round to assault you when you crash in the game.
This documentary being watched and experienced through a game, did that influence the way you designed and worked on it?
Yes. The basic thing was to think of the videos as periods of reduced adrenaline: the player is taking a break after completing one challenge and before doing the next one. The videos shouldn’t be too aggressive. They need to create atmosphere, tell the story and build excitement as the next challenge approaches.
They also need to work as self-contained pieces of entertainment – a bit like music videos. We spent a lot of time on the music, giving each video a strong musical character.
With live-action sequences and game sections sticking so close to each other, was there anything you tried and implemented with the great team at Milestone to make sure the transition between the two was as smooth as possible? Do you feel the results will please MotoGP fans overall?
We kept the transitions as simple and fast as possible. Nothing to break the flow from video to game and back again. Milestone told us what to do and we did it. They are magicians. I think people will love it.
Fastest, one of your documentaries, was mainly focused on Valentino Rossi – as someone who’s worked very closely to him and to his legacy, how does it feel to watch a MotoGP event without him, now that he’s retired?
Has he retired? Really? I still have trouble believing it. I like to imagine he might do a wildcard on the Ducati, like Troy Bayliss at Valencia in 2006.
The world is upside down these days. Rossi’s career feels like a beautiful pre-COVID, pre-war dream. Look what we had. Look what he gave us. It was beautiful.
So who was your favorite rider from that season? Rossi, Pedrosa, Lorenzo, Stoner… we know it’s a hard one!
Nicky Hayden.
Is there anything you feel MotoGP fans are only going to find here, in a video game, and that would not be possible for them to witness in a live event or a documentary?
I think the sheer novelty is going to grab people. The first time you do something new is always special – as long as the experience is a good one. Fingers crossed.
Whether this is a one-off or becomes an established form, who knows? It’s certainly different and it definitely gives you insights and experiences which you won’t get from other media.
Sports-based documentaries are often blamed for how they try and make a show out of motorsport, but it’s also true that is what keeps people entertained. Do you feel you’ve found the right balance between these two souls?
I started making motorcycle movies because I’m a biker – not a racer, but I’ve been riding bikes all my life. As a biker, I care how motorcycle racing is represented. Rule number one: keep it real.
Bikers know the essence of the sport – the freedom, the thrills and the risks. These are things that you feel when you ride. There is a much stronger kinship between bikers and motorcycle racers than there is between people who drive cars and Formula 1 drivers. So while you’re trying to make something that will appeal to as many people as possible, you can never forget your primary audience: people who have motorcycling in their blood.
MotoGP is not Formula 1 on two wheels. It is much more dangerous and much more exciting. On a good day, it’s exactly what your mother says it is: madness. That’s why we love it.
Written by Paolo Sirio on behalf of GLHF.
