Stampede: Racing Royale – How Sumo Digital Built a 60-Player Kart Racer  

60 drivers. Three rounds. One champion. Math was never my strong suit at school, but I think that calculates into a whole lot of fun… On behalf of Sumo Leamington, I’m excited to let you know that Stampede: Racing Royale (Game Preview) is available now on Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC via Xbox Game Preview. Let’s pop the hood and let me show you what our free-to-play kart racing game is all about.

Our game is best described as the bright, fun, and exhilarating action of kart racing games, combined with the tension and competitive thrill of battle royales, sprinkled with some stardust, and you get the wildest racing event in existence: Stampede: Racing Royale! Completely free to play, you can take on the world in races, battles, and more as a whopping 60 drivers compete to be champion.

Unique for our game, as mentioned above, is that 60 karts will begin a Stampede event on track — at the same time. That’s far more than your usual racer, and no easy feat for our team to achieve. Behind the scenes in Stampede: Racing Royale, a plethora of networking know-how and coding wizardry is taking place to make the concept of 60-player racing even possible, let alone enjoyable. Accommodating the possibilities and requirements of every kart in a coherent way was one of the very first challenges we overcame in development, beginning almost three years ago.

With the background brilliance in place, it then falls on front-facing content designers to build a fun experience with 60 karts on track. A key consideration is not just the karts themselves, but the maps they race on. Every track and arena we create for Stampede is built with 60 drivers in mind, so aspects like track width, verticality, multiple routes, and more are implemented to ensure there’s the necessary space for exciting gameplay. 

As for the behaviour of the karts, that’s been a process of improvement not just with our team, but with our ever-growing community. Feedback and data from players over the past 12 months have helped us understand how to find that balance of control and chaos, or speed and skill, and make our 60-player racing feel balanced and rewarding. After some early tests, we picked up feedback from players saying the start of a race could be overly chaotic and unpredictable, with every kart in a small space. So, we’ve since made karts intangible, just for the opening few seconds, to give you a moment to settle into the action.

We’ve had a blast developing Stampede in plain sight, and earlier this year we invited Xbox fans to take a work-in-progress version of the game for a spin in the Xbox Insider Program, where we gathered super useful insights. To show our thanks to Xbox Insiders, you’ll receive an exclusive customisation item (keep an eye on your Inbox for the reward)! 

The collaboration with our community is just beginning. Launching into Xbox Game Preview is our “Season 0” for Stampede: Racing Royale and we’ll be serving up a seriously big slice of content, numerous ways to play, and lots of stuff to discover. And while we’ll be having fun right along side you in Season 0, listening and acting on your feedback to shape future updates. You can chat with our team on our official Discord server, and have your say via surveys, which we’ll roll out each Season.  

Also, for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members, you can grab a Starter Pack via Game Pass Perks! This includes an exclusive kart skin in a familiar shade of green, an avatar that throws back to previous Xbox generations, and Coins to use in-game. Head to your usual destination for Game Pass Perks and you’ll find the pack there. 

So, pull on your flashiest race suit, get those cheese wheels rolling (yep, that’s a thing), and see you on the start line in Stampede: Racing Royale (Game Preview)!

Stampede: Racing Royale (Game Preview)

Secret Mode

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This game is a work in progress. It may or may not change over time or release as a final product. Purchase only if you are comfortable with the current state of the unfinished game.

Welcome to Stampede: Racing Royale – the wildest racing event in existence. Step on the gas in thrilling kart racing and battle events, with 60 participants all competing simultaneously. Harness your skills and a huge range of power-ups to steer your way to the front of the herd across in classic circuit racing, or fight the crowd head-on to score the most points in arena-based battles.

RACING ROYALE

Stampede: Racing Royale pits 60 players against one another across three-round eliminator events, culminating in a high-stakes finale to crown the winner. Rounds include Stampede Races, which offer classic karting action on outrageously inventive circuits against up to 59 other opponents, and Stampede Battles, where competitors are locked in power-up laden arenas to fight their way to victory.

COLLECT & CUSTOMISE

Keep racing to unlock new vehicles and endless customisation options. Find your favourite kart and make it your own with custom paints and stickers. Dress your character in the finest threads to make sure you and your wheels really stand apart from the herd.

LIVE 24/7

There’s always something to be part of in the world of Stampede. Seasons, Events, Challenges, and much more mean the ways you can race are constantly changing, with new rewards always up for grabs.

RACE WITH FRIENDS

Start or join a party to experience the chaotic action of Stampede: Racing Royale with friends and family.