FlatOut

This article is about the video game series. For the first game in the series, see FlatOut (2004 video game). For other uses, see Flat Out.
FlatOut
Developer(s)
Publisher(s)
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 4, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation Portable, Wii, Android, OS X, Linux, Meta Quest, PlayStation 5
First releaseFlatOut
November 5, 2004
Latest releaseFlatOut 4: Total Insanity
March 17, 2017

FlatOut is a series of action demolition derby/racing video games created by Finnish independent video game developer Bugbear Entertainment.[1] The FlatOut series has sold a total of almost 3 million units worldwide. After Bugbear developed FlatOut: Head On, Dutch video game developer Team6 Game Studios developed the next three games in the series, which are the Windows-exclusive FlatOut 3 and two spin-offs on Wii and Android. Kylotonn developed the series' fourth installment, FlatOut 4: Total Insanity, which was released on March 17, 2017 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in Europe and May 2 in the United States. In 2024, Flat2VR Studios announced a remake of FlatOut (2004) for Meta Quest, PSVR2, and SteamVR. [2]

The series has received both critical acclaim[3] and notable negative reception[4][5] with most notably FlatOut 3: Chaos & Destruction being considered one of the worst video games of all time[6] and FlatOut 2 being considered the best in the series.[7] It was called a welcome addendum to the derby-racing genre at first but eventually died out due to a lack of critical reception.[8] Original developer Bugbear have since released Wreckfest (2017), which is considered a spiritual successor to the FlatOut series.

  1. ^ Kuorikoski, Juho (2015). Finnish Video Games: A History and Catalog. McFarland & Company. ISBN 978-1-4766-2119-7. Retrieved 16 March 2019 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ Lang, Ben (2024-08-15). "Flat2VR Studios Announces Four Flatscreen Games Getting VR Ports for Major Headsets". Road to VR. Retrieved 2024-08-16.
  3. ^ Matt Gardner (1 August 2019). "13 Years On, BugBear's FlatOut 2 is Still the King of Car Combat. Will Wreckfest Change That?". Forbes.
  4. ^ Rich Stanton (5 January 2012). "FlatOut 3: Chaos and Destruction Review". Eurogamer.
  5. ^ Luke Reilly (18 January 2012). "FlatOut 3: How to Ruin a Good Racing Series Forever". IGN.
  6. ^ Ben Gilbert (17 April 2018). "Worst 50 Games Of All Time, According to Critics". Business Insider.
  7. ^ Chris Roper (17 May 2012). "FlatOut 2 Review". IGN.
  8. ^ Will Usher. "14 Game Franchises That Got Way Worse". Cinema Blend.