Burnout: Championship Drag Racing, also known as simply Burnout, is a video game developed by MediaTech West and published by Bethesda Softworks for MS-DOS, released on March 20, 1998.[3][4][5] A Player's Choice Edition was released in September 1998[6] for both DOS and Microsoft Windows. Burnout was licensed by the Hot Rod magazine. Although the name suggests otherwise, the game is not a part of the Burnout series, which would begin 3 years later in 2001.
Burnout Championship Drag Racing is a game of 40-second races, involving a meticulous pre-race setup of each vehicle. With over 60 adjustable components, from suspension and tires to transmission and brakes, the game demands precision tuning to shave off mere fractions of a second. Far from an arcade-style experience, Burnout is a hardcore simulation, designed for players who savor technical depth over flashy gameplay.[7]
The game was developed by Washington based MediaTech West, the same team that did XCar: Experimental Racing[8] in conjunction with Hot Rod Magazine.[9][10] The game utilizes Bethesda's XnGine[11] It was originally scheduled to be released in November 1997.[12] The game went gold on March 13, 1998[10]Burnout was released on MPlayer.com in June 1998.[9][13]
The game received average reviews according to the review aggregation website GameRankings.[14]GameSpot said, "Burnout has such a refreshing feel and intense bursts of white-knuckled action that it's really worth sticking it out for a while."[18]Next Generation found that "The single race is nice for a quick, visceral moment, but the real game is competing in a season or going head-to-head with someone over a network – by far the most adrenaline-pumping way to play."[7]
According to Pete Hines, Director of Marketing and Public Relations at Bethesda, the game is the best-selling drag racing game of all time.[23]
^"News for March 20, 1998". Online Gaming Review. March 20, 1998. Archived from the original on December 4, 2000. Retrieved December 6, 2019. March 20, 1998: Bethesda announced that Burnout, their drag racing simulation, has shipped and should be hitting stores in the next few days.
^Vaughn, Todd (June 1998). "Burnout". PC Gamer. Vol. 5, no. 6. Imagine Media. Archived from the original on March 11, 2000. Retrieved October 17, 2020.
^Crowe, Greg (December 14, 2000). "Still Out There..."Game Industry News. Noble Order Press Enterprises Inc. Archived from the original on May 9, 2006. Retrieved September 5, 2023.