GRIP



GRIP: Combat Racing, or GRIP, is a video game developed by Caged Element Inc. and published by Wired Productions. It was released on Steam Early Access on February 2, 2016 and had its full launch on November 6, 2018.

Description
GRIP is a futuristic combat racer inspired by the Rollcage games from 1999/2000. Combine furious speed with intense action to create memorable gaming moments you won't forget.

Story
GRIP has its origins in the illegal street racing scene that spawned in the early 21st century. At that time the races were reasonably harmless. A danger to the public, certainly, with inexperienced drivers managing to destroy their rides in ill-judged corners. But most of the time, it was only the drivers themselves that wound-up dead. It was characterized as an underground movement, largely ignored by law enforcement, with only a handful of arrests ever being made. The world had other worries.

Then things started to change. The scene became dominated by major players with big egos. Full of bravura, their cars evolved and became all about the speed, and with that the danger began to grow. Elements of the public started to become interested in the drama and a whole new subculture gravitated towards the action. This was racing alright, and everyone in it was out to win, whatever the cost. Accidents happened often, and that too became part of the allure. This sport was really taking off, despite the intensifying efforts of authorities to bury it.

In the end, the races became so testosterone-fueled and running so close to the edge that even pirate TV started to cover them. The channel known simply as GRIP became synonymous with the whole scene, which exploded with massive public interest running counter to government crackdowns on the problem. Funded by gambling income and black-market TV subscriptions, the hacker crew running the TV link became very wealthy indeed.

The drivers in these races quickly realized what they were missing, and they were more than just a little displeased, they were harbouring some righteous anger. Some TV network taking over their scene - taking all the rewards yet sharing none of the risks, what the hell was that about? The fury erupted, and the big dogs made their grab for power. Fierce fighting broke out between the two groups, but the network was no match for the drivers and gave way to superior force. Faced with no choice but to accept the offer they were given, a balance of power was struck, and everyone moved forward. The network retained a cut, but the drivers were now collecting an income for their risk, a real income that allowed them to pimp their speed machines even further.

But money corrupts, and in GRIP it corrupted absolutely. The cut from the races was split between all the drivers, those that ended first received the most, and those that didn’t end at all, well, received nothing. It wasn’t long before this fact was viciously exploited. The cars, originally built purely for racing, slowly evolved to become armed, and armoured. Fewer people finishing a race meant more money for those that did. It wasn’t just about racing any more, it was about destroying your rivals along the way.

The government really couldn’t tolerate such an obscene display of violence and weaponry in their backyard. The regular police were hopelessly outclassed, so they sent in the military. But as they became increasingly involved, this just added to the whole drama of the scene. Though still very much underground, it was becoming rampantly popular. It was everyone’s favourite new addiction, their guilty pleasure. For the drivers though, the military intervention was just killing it. The racing was already intense enough, but fighting on two fronts was all but impossible. Something had to be done, this was a way of life now, and it wasn’t going to just stop. So the whole thing started to move, not just into the far reaches of the desert where it would be less conspicuous, but eventually off-world to try and find places where they could race to the max without wasting munition on government forces that they would much rather save to fight against each other. It was all about the winning.

Now, in the age of streamlined interstellar travel, GRIP has come of age with its fiery cocktail of cars and carnage spreading throughout the known star systems - the organizers now crashing exotic planets and bulldozing environments to create improvised race tracks to battle upon. That is, until the region's authorities show up and try to ruin the party with a hail of gunfire and rockets. Not only are racers dealing with each other's explosive tendencies, they now contend with a fierce war between those that want the anarchy to continue, and those that would extinguish what could become the biggest televised spectacle in the galaxy.

Welcome to GRIP.