It’s been a while since Project Gotham Racing 4 landed on Xbox 360, and that game really marked the end of an era for Bizarre Creations. For one, it was the last racing title they’d publish in association with Microsoft with future games being under the wing of new owner Activision. It was also the end of the Project Gotham Racing series as we know it – Microsoft retains the right to publish games with that name and whether there will be another remains to be seen.

Blur promises to be something ambitious – an arcade racer with realistic cars and environments but with the twist that there are Wipeout-style powerups littering the circuit. The company says that there is a “big element of skill” to using them and it’s surprising that any real world manufacturers have agreed to seeing their cars emitting giant turbo boosts or blasting others out of the way. They have though, and it looks like at the very least BMW, GM and Ford are on board.

Another contrast to PGR is that this game contains a storyline. There will be two in-game social networks which show your progress in the single and multiplayer modes, and progress is made by gaining enough “fans” to move to a new location or buy a new car.

The most promising aspect has to be the news that it will support 20 players simultaneously online. Coupled with the ability to create groups and custom multiplayer modes it’s certainly looking like it could be the new king of online racers. Netcode in PGR4 was solid, so there shouldn’t be too many worries there.

Announcing Blur! [Bizarre Creations]