Nolan North: "This could be something very unique to DIRT 5"

DIRT 5 is released this Friday and we're hyped!

The fun racing series is back with another edition and this time, it'll be on next-gen. There are a lot of firsts associated with this game, and another is that it features a narrative-driven story in its Career Mode.

Will this be something that we'll see more of in racing games going forward though? We sat down with one of the stars of DIRT 5 to ask that very question.

Breaking the Mould

Codemasters have pulled no punches this year with DIRT 5. They've employed two of the biggest names in the business, Nolan North (Bruno Durand) and Troy Baker (Alex “AJ” Janiček).

We knew that North was impressed by the unique approach taken by Codemasters, but did he think this would become an industry standard?

"That remains to be seen. What they [Codemasters] have done with the racing, the technical aspects, and the visuals ... To have this story with compelling characters as well is a really good balance."

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"This could be something very unique to DIRT 5. They took the time to create compelling characters. As I always say, the game is the most important thing and they nailed that."

"It's a nice way to introduce a story element to what is traditionally a "get in the car and go" type of game. It only adds to the experience, it doesn't take away from anything else."

Troy Baker was similarly full of praise for the way Codemasters crafted a story that is different and engaging. With a lot of adlibbing in some sections and simply being the character, DIRT 5 has allowed the best voiceover actors in gaming to be themselves.

"The customization of this game, and the scope of it. That blew my mind" Said Baker.

A change in genre

North has an extensive filmography with regards to his voice acting in video games. Racing games aren't something that appear much on that list though, but is he a fan of the genre?

"I am a fan of playing them (racing games). Back in the day, I used to love [going to] the arcades and getting into the physical ones with the pedals and the clutch."

"There's not a lot of voices and narration necessary in racing games. A lot of times, they'd just get the professional track announcers to do the voices. They (the developers) want that kind of realism."

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"It's nice to bring what I do and some of the storytelling elements to a racing game."

What Nolan is playing on

We also got the opportunity to ask North what system he'll be playing DIRT 5 on:

"PlayStation usually, I'm PlayStation and Xbox. People always say to me, "Nolan, you should play PC!" But then, I'd never do my work."

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With his iconic role as Nathan Drake in the Uncharted series, it's little wonder that he's a PlayStation gamer. The American is also looking forward to the PS5, but he hasn't pre-ordered one just yet:

"I've done a lot of work for Sony, and I hope they do the right thing and send me one. That's the art of being an actor, you want free things. I'm gonna hold the DIRT 5 guys to sending me a copy, maybe two!"

Release Date

DIRT 5 will be available on PS4, Xbox One, and Windows PC Worldwide on 6 November. For those wanting to buy on next-gen, DIRT 5 will be coming to Series X on 10 November and later PS5 on 12 November.

DIRT 5 will also be released on Stadia in 2021.