Motorsims was formed in the Summer of 1997 in Las Colinas, Texas, with a specific focus on creating computer simulations for the motorsport enthusiast. Its best known of the NHRA Drag Racing series of games.
Founded by Bob McCarthy, Motorsims' strategy was to sign long-term exclusive contracts and develop properties based on sanctioned racing events. These eventually included AMA Pro Racing (American Motorcyclist Association) and NHRA (National Hot Rod Association).
Motorsims was re-branded Moto1.net in mid-2000. This coincided with motorsports news website and a focus on browser based multiplayer game matchups in a move to increase investor interest in the expanding company. Unfortunately this occured at the end of the "dot-com bubble" and within a year the web-magazine was shutdown.
The success of the NHRA franchise and sales of promotional games largely pushed the company for the next two years.
By mid-2002, while in development of the next NHRA game, the company began bouncing paychecks. In early October 2002 due to ongoing financial problems the remaining unpaid employees walked out and didn't return.
Within a few months one of the Motorsims investors, in a legally controversial move, took ownership of the NHRA source code and opened a new studio. eMotorsports was located in the old
Gathering of Developers church and picked up a couple of ex-Motorsims employees. They completed and shipped NHRA Drag Racing: Top Fuel Thunder in December of 2003 with most of the original Motorsims team uncredited.
eMotorsports ceased operations in 2004.
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