KW Studios

KW Studios Ltd.
Formerly
  • SimBin Studios (2003–2014)
  • Sector3 Studios (2014–2022)
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryVideo games
FoundedJune 2003
Headquarters,
Number of locations
1
Key people
Chris Speed (CEO)
Number of employees
8
ParentKW Automotive
Websitewww.kw-studios.com

KW Studios Ltd. (formerly SimBin Studios[1] and Sector3 Studios) is a Swedish video game developer and publisher. It was founded in 2003, and it develops racing simulators for Windows PC, with its headquarters in Lidköping, Sweden. The company originally started as a modding team for the Image Space Incorporated game F1 2002, releasing a mod based on the 2002 season of the FIA GT championship,[2] essentially the precursor to its first commercial game.

The company has released GTR - FIA GT Racing Game, GT Legends, and a sequel to GTR Racing called GTR - FIA GT Racing Game 2, all published by 10tacle as well as RACE - The Official WTCC Game published by Eidos Interactive and RACE 07 - The Official WTCC Game which was the first SimBin game to include Formula cars. RACE 07 has gone on to have nine expansion packs released for it: GTR Evolution, STCC - The Game, Race On, Formula Raceroom, STCC The Game 2, GT Power Expansion, WTCC 2010, Retro Expansion, and Race Injection. Although the company mainly focuses on racing simulators for Windows, Race Pro was developed for the Xbox 360 console, published by Atari and released in February 2009. In May 2009 SimBin released Volvo – The Game as a freeware for Windows. It included six cars, two racetracks and a time trial mode. Cars include the Volvo S60, Volvo S40 and Volvo 850. In 2013, SimBin released RaceRoom Racing Experience, a new free to play game that connects fans of racing around a game, motorsports portal and online store.

By September 2014, SimBin Studios officially changed their name to Sector3 Studios, as part of a company restructuring.[3] The name was changed primarily because the former was contractually tied to the location, and the team wanted to move to a more populous area. In January 2022, German automotive parts manufacturer KW Automotive had quietly acquired Sector3 Studios and renamed it to KW Studios.[4]

  1. ^ "SimBin declares bankruptcy and reforms as Sector 3 Studios". 11 September 2014.
  2. ^ "Throwback Thursdays - History of SimBin". www.isrtv.com. August 2014. Retrieved 2022-11-17.
  3. ^ "SimBin Studios Restructuring!". www.isrtv.com. 28 July 2014. Retrieved 2022-11-17.
  4. ^ Wheatley, Tim (January 27, 2022). "Sector 3 Studios Now KW Studios". RaceSimCentral.net. Retrieved July 29, 2022.