Star Wars Episode I: Racer
| Star Wars Episode I: Racer | |
|---|---|
North American Windows box art | |
| Developer | LucasArts |
| Publishers | LucasArts Aspyr (2020 ports) THQ Nordic (PlayStation 4 and Switch retail) |
| Designers | Jon Knoles Eric Johnston Brett Tosti |
| Programmers | Eric Johnston Mark Blattel Darren Johnson |
| Series | Star Wars |
| Platforms | Windows, Nintendo 64, Game Boy Color, Mac OS, Dreamcast, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One |
| Release | May 18, 1999 |
| Genre | Racing |
| Modes | Single-player, multiplayer |
Star Wars Episode I: Racer is a 1999 racing video game developed and published by LucasArts. It is based on the podracing sequence in the film Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. The game features all of the racers and race course on Tatooine from The Phantom Menace. It adds several new courses, on Tatooine and various planets. The game has several single player modes, including a tournament mode. The format of multiplayer mode varies by platform. Jake Lloyd and Lewis MacLeod, who portrayed Anakin Skywalker and Sebulba in The Phantom Menace, reprise their film roles in the game.
Episode I: Racer received generally positive reviews from critics. Several major media outlets listed it as one of the top Star Wars video games. As of 2011, the game holds the Guinness record as the best-selling sci-fi racing game, with worldwide sales of 3.12 million units, followed by series like Wipeout and F-Zero. Two podracing games were released later. Star Wars: Racer Arcade, an arcade game featuring many similar tracks and characters, was released in 2000. A sequel, Star Wars Racer Revenge was released in 2002 for the PlayStation 2.
Twenty years after the release of the game, it received an HD re-release for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 in June 2020. It was later released on Xbox One in October 2020.