Back in October, 2022, BMW revealed that it was starting a partnership with AirConsole to launch an in-car gaming platform that could start making its way into cars like the BMW i4 sedan. The angle is that the in-car games could go a long way to keep passengers entertained during waiting periods such as EV charging which can take upwards of 30 minutes or more depending on the vehicle and station. This new in-car gaming hub keeps things simple by allowing players to join in by scanning a QR code and using their smart phones as controllers, and now you have a chance to contribute a gaming idea to it.
The AirConsole games tend to lean more toward the casual side, easy to pick up and play rather than more in-depth AAA experiences. For example, one of the games confirmed to be available on the service is Death Squared which has two or more players working together to solve puzzles. There will be solo-player games available as well, but a full list wasn’t provided at the time. Though, according to a release from BMW—via CarScoops—the automaker is looking for even more ideas and it’s willing to pay up for them.
BMW announced that it, along with AirConsole, is reaching out to the global game development community and hosting a competition. Contestants will submit game ideas and concepts via the official competition website starting today through June 8th, 2023 and judges will chose the best four. The individuals behind each winning concept will be award 5,000 euros—roughly $5,290. The funds are meant to go toward the development of prototypes for the game concepts. If the prototype has promise then BMW and AirConsole will fund its full development for inclusion in BMW’s in-car game platform.
It sounds like a pretty neat way to help some budding indie game developer get their start and it has our creative gears turning a bit too. What if there was a one vs. four game called “Don’t Touch the Stereo” done in a cool tower defense style? Perhaps an arena style fighting game loosely based on the road trip classic “slug bug”? We have to imagine a Mario Kart style racing game would do nicely too. Those are some freebie ideas to get you started, but if you use any of those and win then you have to use some of that prize money to buy us some pizza.
If you’re more interested in playing games rather than making them then you might want to read about our hands-on experience with PlayStation 5 integration on Sony and Honda’s joint Afeela EV concept car, which was engaging but clearly still has a long way to go before it’s ready.
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