Interview
April 25, 2025
Milestone leans into Unreal Engine 5 to keep MotoGP 25 out in front
Founded in Milan in 1996, Milestone is one of the leading and longest-established racing game developers and publishers in the world. The 300+ people team is responsible for hit series like MotoGP™, Monster Energy Supercross – The Official Videogame, the acclaimed Hot Wheels Unleashed™, as well as its own IPs, RIDE and Screamer.
Based in Milan, Italian developer Milestone knows a thing or two about making racing games. After all, they’ve been doing so since the 1990s when, from humble beginnings, they embarked on an exhilarating journey through the decades that has spanned numerous console generations and featured high-profile collaborations—all with a consistent goal of delivering authentic racing experiences.
Now, with MotoGP 25 set to launch, the dedicated Unreal Engine developer has upgraded to Unreal Engine 5 in order to implement all-new levels of realism and immersion while offering a variety of experiences that are equally as appealing to series veterans and newcomers alike.
So how has the development team leveraged Unreal Engine 5 to push the experience to the next level while keeping the latest instalment of its annual franchise on track?
We caught up with Lead Game Designer Stefano Talarico to find out the role MetaSounds, Unreal’s advanced lighting capabilities, and support from the Epic Developer Community have played in helping the team go full throttle ahead.
Now, with MotoGP 25 set to launch, the dedicated Unreal Engine developer has upgraded to Unreal Engine 5 in order to implement all-new levels of realism and immersion while offering a variety of experiences that are equally as appealing to series veterans and newcomers alike.
So how has the development team leveraged Unreal Engine 5 to push the experience to the next level while keeping the latest instalment of its annual franchise on track?
We caught up with Lead Game Designer Stefano Talarico to find out the role MetaSounds, Unreal’s advanced lighting capabilities, and support from the Epic Developer Community have played in helping the team go full throttle ahead.
Thank you for joining us! Could you please start off by telling us about MotoGP 25 and what your goals were for the latest installment in this long-running franchise?
Stefano Talarico, Lead Game Designer: Hello and thank you for this opportunity, I’m glad to be here with you. We have everything set for the launch of MotoGP 25 and we can’t wait to hear from the gamers.
Being a yearly game, we need to be laser-focused on our goals and we have to always be ahead of the curve...just like real riders! Our main goal this year is the same as always, and that is to provide new ways for players to enjoy our game while staying true to the sport and our core game experience, which is what makes MotoGP games so recognizable and loved by our audience.
But of course, the sport is growing worldwide. While we nurture our core audience, we want to welcome new players, so we’re always refining our gameplay features and continuing our focus on accessibility.
Stefano Talarico, Lead Game Designer: Hello and thank you for this opportunity, I’m glad to be here with you. We have everything set for the launch of MotoGP 25 and we can’t wait to hear from the gamers.
Being a yearly game, we need to be laser-focused on our goals and we have to always be ahead of the curve...just like real riders! Our main goal this year is the same as always, and that is to provide new ways for players to enjoy our game while staying true to the sport and our core game experience, which is what makes MotoGP games so recognizable and loved by our audience.
But of course, the sport is growing worldwide. While we nurture our core audience, we want to welcome new players, so we’re always refining our gameplay features and continuing our focus on accessibility.
Image courtesy of Milestone
MotoGP 25 seems to offer a lot of variety when it comes to the vehicles, tracks, and modes players will experience. Can you please summarize what the game offers?
Talarico: The MotoGP series is always focused on making the gamers feel like real riders, and this year we wanted to add a little taste of what riders do after a race weekend.
Besides our regular offer of Moto3, Moto2 and MotoGP class bikes, this year we also feature minibikes, flat track, and motard bikes, which are available in Quick Mode, online, and Career Mode (MotoE class bikes will be added in a future update).
We know that almost every rider on the roster uses their time off to train, and they do so by racing on different types of bikes. This is why we introduced Race Off events, in which players can ride the new bikes: we created two environments and four circuits to allow them to have a break from MotoGP events and enjoy a different kind of racing, more focused on fun and adrenaline than pure performance. Furthermore, Race Off events in Career Mode are designed to reflect the “training element” that inspired them, as they help the players to ride the bike to the fullest.
Talarico: The MotoGP series is always focused on making the gamers feel like real riders, and this year we wanted to add a little taste of what riders do after a race weekend.
Besides our regular offer of Moto3, Moto2 and MotoGP class bikes, this year we also feature minibikes, flat track, and motard bikes, which are available in Quick Mode, online, and Career Mode (MotoE class bikes will be added in a future update).
We know that almost every rider on the roster uses their time off to train, and they do so by racing on different types of bikes. This is why we introduced Race Off events, in which players can ride the new bikes: we created two environments and four circuits to allow them to have a break from MotoGP events and enjoy a different kind of racing, more focused on fun and adrenaline than pure performance. Furthermore, Race Off events in Career Mode are designed to reflect the “training element” that inspired them, as they help the players to ride the bike to the fullest.
Image courtesy of Milestone
How have you designed MotoGP 25 to appeal to those looking for an immersive simulation experience while making the game accessible to those more interested in the adrenaline of arcade racing?
Talarico: Gameplay-wise, MotoGP 25 stays true to its core. This year, we refined our gameplay simulative core to achieve what our players asked in regards to electronic setups and tyre management. The Pro Experience is designed to provide the players with the MotoGP gameplay that they know and love.
But this time around, we also wanted to offer a new game experience: something that could open the door to players more accustomed to racing on four wheels, in addition to MotoGP enthusiasts who are completely new to racing games. The Arcade Experience is designed to be immediate, fun, and makes it easy to pick up and race your bike to the limit from the get-go. It’s the perfect choice if you want to experience bike racing at its fullest, without having to tinker with setups and technicalities, and we’re confident that new players will love it.
Both the Pro and Arcade Experiences will have a subset of fully customizable settings, allowing the players to create their preferred setup and enjoy the game to the fullest.
Talarico: Gameplay-wise, MotoGP 25 stays true to its core. This year, we refined our gameplay simulative core to achieve what our players asked in regards to electronic setups and tyre management. The Pro Experience is designed to provide the players with the MotoGP gameplay that they know and love.
But this time around, we also wanted to offer a new game experience: something that could open the door to players more accustomed to racing on four wheels, in addition to MotoGP enthusiasts who are completely new to racing games. The Arcade Experience is designed to be immediate, fun, and makes it easy to pick up and race your bike to the limit from the get-go. It’s the perfect choice if you want to experience bike racing at its fullest, without having to tinker with setups and technicalities, and we’re confident that new players will love it.
Both the Pro and Arcade Experiences will have a subset of fully customizable settings, allowing the players to create their preferred setup and enjoy the game to the fullest.
Beyond single races, MotoGP 25 invites players to build their legacy over time. Can you please elaborate on the career components of the game?
Talarico: The ideas for MotoGP 25 Career Mode started flowing when we saw gameplay videos of our players, and we saw how strong the bond was with their rider counterparts: they wanted to build a legacy—they had their own goals outside of what we wanted them to accomplish.
So, this year, we want them to choose from the start how they want to move in their career. They can choose to build epic rivalries, improve their contract and prestige in the paddock, or develop their bike to the fullest and maybe bring back some legendary manufacturer that is no longer on the top of the standings, like Valentino Rossi did with Yamaha in 2004.
All those choices allowed us to revisit and improve our Career systems, with particular emphasis on bike development: now, given the right time and development effort, every bike chosen in the MotoGP class can reach the top and out-perform the others, rewarding player choices and hard work on track.
Talarico: The ideas for MotoGP 25 Career Mode started flowing when we saw gameplay videos of our players, and we saw how strong the bond was with their rider counterparts: they wanted to build a legacy—they had their own goals outside of what we wanted them to accomplish.
So, this year, we want them to choose from the start how they want to move in their career. They can choose to build epic rivalries, improve their contract and prestige in the paddock, or develop their bike to the fullest and maybe bring back some legendary manufacturer that is no longer on the top of the standings, like Valentino Rossi did with Yamaha in 2004.
All those choices allowed us to revisit and improve our Career systems, with particular emphasis on bike development: now, given the right time and development effort, every bike chosen in the MotoGP class can reach the top and out-perform the others, rewarding player choices and hard work on track.
Image courtesy of Milestone
From the bikes to the tracks, how has Unreal Engine 5 enabled your team to create an experience that looks more realistic than ever before?
Talarico: Of course, upgrading to Unreal Engine 5 gave us the opportunity to build new fascinating scenarios and revisit our main environments. We greatly improved the overall lighting of the game, focusing of course on the tracks: grass and trees have been revamped to appear closer to the real scenarios, and we reviewed curbs to provide a smoother riding experience.
We also expanded on the concept of the TV set that was the main setup of last year’s game: MotoGP 25 takes place in a virtual production stage designed to change dynamically and make the players feel like they’re about to start a race in any moment, but also giving them the feeling of being behind the scenes during the glorious MotoGP new-season presentation.
We are thrilled with the presentation of this year’s game, and we know that we can keep pushing the envelope in the future. We already have some ideas that we can’t wait to tinker with!
Talarico: Of course, upgrading to Unreal Engine 5 gave us the opportunity to build new fascinating scenarios and revisit our main environments. We greatly improved the overall lighting of the game, focusing of course on the tracks: grass and trees have been revamped to appear closer to the real scenarios, and we reviewed curbs to provide a smoother riding experience.
We also expanded on the concept of the TV set that was the main setup of last year’s game: MotoGP 25 takes place in a virtual production stage designed to change dynamically and make the players feel like they’re about to start a race in any moment, but also giving them the feeling of being behind the scenes during the glorious MotoGP new-season presentation.
We are thrilled with the presentation of this year’s game, and we know that we can keep pushing the envelope in the future. We already have some ideas that we can’t wait to tinker with!
A lot of work has been put into the game’s audio. Could you please tell us how you achieved such an authentic soundscape and the role MetaSounds played in the process?
Talarico: MotoGP 25 features all new engine sounds, recorded with new advanced systems, and as you said, this was really a lot of work. Having the opportunity to work with clean recordings made with top notch equipment made our life easier and our product better, but we also made sure that every other aspect of the game sounded better than we ever did.
Our audio department did an outstanding job in every aspect of their work. From how the music flows in the game to the on-track gameplay, everything is rich, vibrant and, as you said, authentic. I think the testament to this work is the fact that real riders played a preview of MotoGP 25 and told us that it sounds exactly like the real thing: we couldn’t be prouder.
Talarico: MotoGP 25 features all new engine sounds, recorded with new advanced systems, and as you said, this was really a lot of work. Having the opportunity to work with clean recordings made with top notch equipment made our life easier and our product better, but we also made sure that every other aspect of the game sounded better than we ever did.
Our audio department did an outstanding job in every aspect of their work. From how the music flows in the game to the on-track gameplay, everything is rich, vibrant and, as you said, authentic. I think the testament to this work is the fact that real riders played a preview of MotoGP 25 and told us that it sounds exactly like the real thing: we couldn’t be prouder.
Image courtesy of Milestone
Why was Unreal Engine 5 a good fit for this project?
Talarico: MotoGP games are just like the real MotoGP, a technical feat where pushing the envelope is the key to reach the goal, year after year.
We knew that, if we wanted to reach our goals and stay on top of our game, the switch to Unreal Engine 5 was necessary. And, as per the previous answer, we’re so thrilled by the possibilities that Unreal Engine 5 unfolds that we can’t wait to dig deeper and experiment with aspects of the game that this year we only touched upon.
Talarico: MotoGP games are just like the real MotoGP, a technical feat where pushing the envelope is the key to reach the goal, year after year.
We knew that, if we wanted to reach our goals and stay on top of our game, the switch to Unreal Engine 5 was necessary. And, as per the previous answer, we’re so thrilled by the possibilities that Unreal Engine 5 unfolds that we can’t wait to dig deeper and experiment with aspects of the game that this year we only touched upon.
Were there any particular features of Unreal Engine 5 in general that stood out to the team during development?
Talarico: It would be unfair to point out a single feature, considering how thoroughly we use the tools in Unreal Engine to move everything you see in MotoGP 25. So, I’ll keep it simple and race-y: in MotoGP 25, we replicate 80 different prototype bikes, running on 22 real circuits replicated in game. This means working on an insane amount of spline levels, ideal trajectories, trigger-boxes—and all this work must be replicated for different bike categories, different circuits, and work with both AI riders and the players. Our gameplay designers know every inch of our tracks and, more importantly, how to make everything work smoothly with the tools provided by Unreal Engine 5.
Talarico: It would be unfair to point out a single feature, considering how thoroughly we use the tools in Unreal Engine to move everything you see in MotoGP 25. So, I’ll keep it simple and race-y: in MotoGP 25, we replicate 80 different prototype bikes, running on 22 real circuits replicated in game. This means working on an insane amount of spline levels, ideal trajectories, trigger-boxes—and all this work must be replicated for different bike categories, different circuits, and work with both AI riders and the players. Our gameplay designers know every inch of our tracks and, more importantly, how to make everything work smoothly with the tools provided by Unreal Engine 5.
Image courtesy of Milestone
From head-to-head split-screen racing to cross platform play, how has Unreal Engine enabled you to optimize the multiplayer experiences featured in the game?
Talarico: MotoGP 25 is the first installment in the series to feature an online multiplayer experience that has total cross-platform between PC, Epic Games Store, and console users.
Unreal Engine was pivotal in reaching this goal, since we built on what we achieved in the previous installments with offline split screen and online multiplayer.
Talarico: MotoGP 25 is the first installment in the series to feature an online multiplayer experience that has total cross-platform between PC, Epic Games Store, and console users.
Unreal Engine was pivotal in reaching this goal, since we built on what we achieved in the previous installments with offline split screen and online multiplayer.
With so much content being offered, how has Unreal Engine 5 enabled your team to streamline content development workflows?
Talarico: Milestone has 300 employees and works on different projects simultaneously, so streamlining the workflows and pipelines is essential. Everyone in the company can and often will contribute to the project at any moment, and this is only possible thanks to having Unreal Engine 5 as a shared base on which we build on different game realities.
Speaking of the amount of content, this is also true considering that we often rely on outsourced works: Unreal Engine is a staple tool for game makers, and our partners are used to following our pipelines and schedules to provide us and our players the best content.
Talarico: Milestone has 300 employees and works on different projects simultaneously, so streamlining the workflows and pipelines is essential. Everyone in the company can and often will contribute to the project at any moment, and this is only possible thanks to having Unreal Engine 5 as a shared base on which we build on different game realities.
Speaking of the amount of content, this is also true considering that we often rely on outsourced works: Unreal Engine is a staple tool for game makers, and our partners are used to following our pipelines and schedules to provide us and our players the best content.
Image courtesy of Milestone
Can you tell us a little bit about the character/bike customization options in the game and the UE systems that helped you deliver these?
Talarico: With the introduction of motard and flat track bikes, MotoGP 25 features a whole new set of off-road helmets and goggles as customization items for the player’s character. Those new items, of course, go in addition to the usual set of racing helmets which makes custom characters stand out and make each player unique. Thanks to Unreal Engine 5, every helmet, livery and detail of those items is vibrant, and reflects exactly how those technical materials and advanced paints would react in real life.
For the first time in the series, MotoGP 25 also features a new customization element, which is custom podium emotes: using motion capture technology, we recorded many celebrations that could be used on podiums, and that will add a layer of immersion to our gamers. This transition from reality to the game has been really smooth thanks to our animation team and the tools provided by Unreal Engine 5.
Talarico: With the introduction of motard and flat track bikes, MotoGP 25 features a whole new set of off-road helmets and goggles as customization items for the player’s character. Those new items, of course, go in addition to the usual set of racing helmets which makes custom characters stand out and make each player unique. Thanks to Unreal Engine 5, every helmet, livery and detail of those items is vibrant, and reflects exactly how those technical materials and advanced paints would react in real life.
For the first time in the series, MotoGP 25 also features a new customization element, which is custom podium emotes: using motion capture technology, we recorded many celebrations that could be used on podiums, and that will add a layer of immersion to our gamers. This transition from reality to the game has been really smooth thanks to our animation team and the tools provided by Unreal Engine 5.
From a game studio’s perspective, is the production-readiness of tools and features an important factor when you’re deciding which engine to develop in?
Talarico: Absolutely. When developing a yearly game, time is of the essence. We must be surgical with what we do on the project, so to work with a toolset that we master is essential!
Since we moved to Unreal Engine technology, we’ve been able to deliver every project on time, and we built an internal network of research and development that allows everyone in the studio to move from one project to another seamlessly, which greatly helps reach and maintain our quality standards. This is particularly evident with MotoGP 24 and Hot Wheels, which were nominated for prestigious awards, but also with fan favourites like Ride 5 and Monster Jam: Showdown.
Talarico: Absolutely. When developing a yearly game, time is of the essence. We must be surgical with what we do on the project, so to work with a toolset that we master is essential!
Since we moved to Unreal Engine technology, we’ve been able to deliver every project on time, and we built an internal network of research and development that allows everyone in the studio to move from one project to another seamlessly, which greatly helps reach and maintain our quality standards. This is particularly evident with MotoGP 24 and Hot Wheels, which were nominated for prestigious awards, but also with fan favourites like Ride 5 and Monster Jam: Showdown.
Image courtesy of Milestone
Does your team make use of the Epic Developer Community and if so is there any particular area that you have found helpful?
Talarico: Of course! It is a very useful resource that we use to find answers and to post our insights on development, depending on what happens during our dev cycle. We use it both for project-related issues, but mostly for heavy-duty research and development tasks that may come up during the development of the game(s).
Talarico: Of course! It is a very useful resource that we use to find answers and to post our insights on development, depending on what happens during our dev cycle. We use it both for project-related issues, but mostly for heavy-duty research and development tasks that may come up during the development of the game(s).
What are the advantages of choosing an engine where all the features and tools are available to you out of the box?
Talarico: Working in Unreal Engine allows us to really focus on what we want to bring to the game. We developed years of knowledge in the engine, and we really use every facet of it to deliver the best game possible.
Using an industry-leading engine like Unreal also allows us to hire new employees that already understand what we need and how to do it, while our veterans can help them by expanding their knowledge and keep experimenting with the possibilities, especially in terms of UI and physics. Even if we tend to tailor-make some solutions for our games, having the chance to start from such an advanced start point like Unreal Engine is absolutely fundamental.
Talarico: Working in Unreal Engine allows us to really focus on what we want to bring to the game. We developed years of knowledge in the engine, and we really use every facet of it to deliver the best game possible.
Using an industry-leading engine like Unreal also allows us to hire new employees that already understand what we need and how to do it, while our veterans can help them by expanding their knowledge and keep experimenting with the possibilities, especially in terms of UI and physics. Even if we tend to tailor-make some solutions for our games, having the chance to start from such an advanced start point like Unreal Engine is absolutely fundamental.
Thanks for your time! Where can people go to learn more about MotoGP 25?
Talarico: Thanks again to you! It was a pleasure having the opportunity to speak about the game. You can discover more about MotoGP 25 on our website, our YouTube channel and on most social networks: the handle is @motogpvideogame.
Talarico: Thanks again to you! It was a pleasure having the opportunity to speak about the game. You can discover more about MotoGP 25 on our website, our YouTube channel and on most social networks: the handle is @motogpvideogame.
How to install Unreal Engine
Download the launcher
Before you can install and run Unreal Editor, you’ll need to download and install the Epic Games launcher.
Install Epic Games launcher
Once downloaded and installed, open the launcher and create or log in to your Epic Games account.
Get support, or restart your Epic Games launcher download in Step 1.
Install Unreal Engine
Once logged in, navigate to the Unreal Engine tab and click the Install button to download the most recent version.
Watch how to install