WipEout, the iconic PlayStation 1 franchise, made its mark with its avant-garde approach in many respects: soundtrack, graphics, polished gameplay, and the most dedicated fans will also remember the lore that justified the locations and teams (For those who doubt it, I invite you to check out this image).

Three games were released on PS1: WipEout, WipEout 2097, and Wip3out. PlayStation continued to ride the wave of its anti-gravity racing game until 2012 with WipEout 2048 on PS Vita, although in 2017 we got the WipEout Omega Collection which gathered and “remastered” the last three games in the series.

Since then, complete silence. The dissolution of Psygnosis in 2012 (previously renamed Studio Liverpool) has left little room for any ongoing project for now. Players have therefore turned to other franchises, more or less successful, such as Redout.

For now, SONY keeps the ships in the garage

That was before the arrival of a game on the Xbox Store early this year, called Anti-Gravity Racing WipEout. You have probably heard little or nothing about it, and for good reason: there was very little communication about this game...

Tested recently by Digital Foundry (see the video below), the game was brought to the community’s attention — and it’s safe to say it wasn’t for praise. So much so that the game was removed from the store just a few hours later.

Here are the main points from Digital Foundry’s analysis:

• Performance limited to 30 frames per second (FPS): a low framerate, especially compared to current expectations, harms the essential fluidity in a fast-paced racing game.
• Graphical issues: the port shows visual bugs and display quality below modern standards, affecting the immersive experience.
• Lack of optimization for Xbox One: Digital Foundry notes that this game is clearly not adapted to the console, with errors and technical limitations.
• Generic emulation experience: overall, it feels like a poorly polished emulator, without any improvement or specific adaptation, which degrades the gameplay enjoyment.

Testers say:

“Yes, WipEout is available on Xbox, but this is not the right way to enjoy it. It feels like a generic emulation experience and all changes made are downgrades.”

Another point: right from the start of the game, something seems off, as highlighted by laportedesjeux.fr:

“The shock comes with a stunning CGI intro, faithfully reproducing the original WipEout intro with a modern look. The problem? This intro is a work by Benjamin Brosdau dating from 2021! Did he give his consent? Mystery… And the music, with its licensed tracks, strangely recalls that of the PlayStation version.”

Indeed, beyond the technical flaws, an essential question hangs over this port: intellectual property rights. The WipEout franchise belongs to Sony, which holds exclusive rights since the series’ creation.

However, this port:

• Was apparently not authorized by Sony, as evidenced by its swift removal from the Xbox Store shortly after Digital Foundry’s report was published.
• Seems to be an unofficial port, probably using original ROMs via basic emulation, without any license or official agreement.
• Used an ambiguous title, mixing Anti-Gravity Racing (a generic term) with WipEout to try to bypass strict rights enforcement.

Players were refunded their purchase. For those wishing to rediscover WipEout, they will need to turn to legitimate versions like the WipEout Omega Collection on PlayStation, or legal port projects like the Phantom Edition on PC, which enhance the experience while respecting rights.