WipEout: Futurism
Limited Edition

The definitive illustrated history of the cult videogame – a heart-thumping fusion of groundbreaking graphic design, architectural futurism, electronic music and high-speed racing

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Overview

WipEout crashed onto the scene in 1995, shifting games into the cultural fast lane with its unique 3D visual designs. It propelled a wondrous hit of anti-gravity, hyperspeed racing into the heart of the freshly-released PlayStation console and, over time, the series – developed by Psygnosis, later known as Studio Liverpool – grew into a cult phenomenon amongst graphic designers and gamers alike. With its club-land branding – devised by cutting-edge Sheffield agency The Designers Republic, and its on-the-pulse electronic soundtrack featuring artists such as The Chemical Brothers, The Prodigy and Orbital, WipEout was not only a racing game – it was a vehicle for art. 

WipEout: Futurism chronicles the iconic game’s vision, struggles and achievements – from first conception to future plans, in a distinctive union of trailblazing artwork and graphic design. The extraordinary, and rarely seen, concept art created for the game is beautifully reproduced throughout the book, while The Designers Republic’s peerless vision for an alternative future – with its roots planted in the rich earth of sci-fi iconography – weaves its way throughout the pages, making this publication a densely packed expansion to the beloved series. 

Created by Read-Only Memory and art-directed by The Designers Republic alumni Michael C Place/Studio Build, this book is for those who are well-acquainted with the delights of WipEout and for whom this futuristic, epoch-defining creation is yet to be discovered.

Specification

280 × 250mm
320 pages
Hardcover

Choose-your-team logo cover
Clamshell box
Holofoil stamping

How it works

This book will be on general release in Autumn 2024. This limited edition is available only from Volume and will ship alongside the publication of the general release version.

Expected delivery

Autumn 2024

Shipping

Tracked worldwide

The book

Working its way through the fascinating creation story and cultural footprint of the WipEout game series, WipEout: Futurism offers unprecedented access to the game’s visual archives and reveals the creative processes behind the teams, tracks, vehicles and iconography that define the series. Within these pages you will find original concept art, promotional materials, in-game photography, the monumental graphic design work of The Designers Republic and much more.
The book also includes exclusive interviews with electronic duo Orbital’s Paul Hartnoll, sound designer Loïc Couthier, writer Damon Fairclough, game director Stuart Tilley and more. 
The layout showcases a specially-crafted, WipEout-inspired design – with art direction by Michael C Place, whose graphic-design roots lie in tDR during the years WipEout was created.

Our designs for WipEout had to work in ‘the future we were impatient for’ to be credible. We wanted our work to exist in the approximation of the ‘real’ world PlayStation’s technology was about to deliver.

Ian Anderson, The Designers Republic
Publisher

Read-Only Memory

Profile

Founded in 2012 by Darren Wall, Read-Only Memory publishes beautiful books on videogames and their surrounding subcultures.

Read-Only Memory is offering WipEout: Futurism as a pre-order of 1000 copies only. This is your chance to own a version that will not be available anywhere else. 

Each edition will be housed in a holofoil-stamped clamshell box, with a custom book case design. There are eight exclusive designs to choose from, each modeled on one of the WipEout racing teams; AG Systems, FEISAR, Goteki 45, Auricom, Piranha, Qirex, Assegai and Icaras. The teams all have unique founders, histories and objectives – make sure you choose wisely.

I would love to tell you that I was first introduced to dance music in underground Berlin clubs ... But that would be a lie. My first introduction to dance music came in the form of a futuristic 90s racing game called WipEout.

Keza MacDonald, The Guardian
Meet the author

Duncan Harris is a game industry artist who has worked for companies including Sony, Square Enix, Bethesda and EA. His writing has appeared in such places as Edge, PC Gamer and Rock Paper Shotgun.

He also runs a website, Dead End Thrills, which explores the art of games through the hobby of taking screenshots. He hasn’t played a game properly in years.

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