Mixtape Games Revives Ridge Racer Spirit with PS1-Inspired Aesthetic for New Project

Mixtape Games Revives Ridge Racer Spirit with PS1-Inspired Aesthetic for New Project The influence of classic PlayStation-era racers continues to echo throughout the gaming industry, and indie developers are often the vanguard of this retro resurgence.

Mixtape Games, helmed by developer Jamie—known for innovative indie releases such as Hellscreen and Vaporware Pinball—has announced plans to create a new racing experience that draws direct inspiration from Namco’s iconic Ridge Racer series.

Set to capture the nostalgic energy of the original Ridge Racer while pushing visual boundaries, this title will employ a PS1-inspired aesthetic as a deliberate stylistic benchmark rather than as a technical constraint. For many gamers, the Ridge Racer name is synonymous with the early days of Sony’s PlayStation hardware.

The franchise routinely served as a launch showcase for new consoles, delivering high-octane racing action that leveraged the technical capabilities of each generation.

Despite the series’ enduring legacy, it’s been over a decade since a true Ridge Racer entry graced console platforms, with Ridge Racer Unbounded (2012) being the last installment—and even that is considered a departure from the core formula by longtime fans. Enter Mixtape Games, whose founder Jamie articulated the artistic direction for the upcoming project on social media.

He stated, "I want to explore the PS1 aesthetic intentionally, focusing on it as a creative choice.

The plan is to create something distinctly reminiscent of the PlayStation era, yet not bound by limitations such as draw distance or polygon count." Jamie went on to clarify that while the game will visually evoke classic PlayStation graphics, it will skip some period-accurate artefacts—like affine texture mapping—and instead, incorporate modern graphical techniques such as enhanced environment mapping, vertex texture blending, and a richer variety of textures. While this racing title is still in its formative development stages, Jamie’s track record with projects like Hellscreen—a first-person shooter notable for its unique rear-view mirror mechanic—and the atmospheric Vaporware Pinball, positions Mixtape Games as a studio to watch for fans of creatively driven, genre-blending experiences.

The developer’s embrace of PS1-inspired visuals comes at a time when retro gaming continues its resurgence, propelled by both nostalgia and a desire for distinctive stylistic direction on contemporary platforms like the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo eShop. Although an official release date and confirmed platforms have yet to be announced, Mixtape Games’ homage to Ridge Racer’s aesthetic and gameplay legacy is already generating excitement among indie game enthusiasts and retro racing fans alike.

Should the project come to fruition, it has the potential to reinvent classic arcade racing for a new generation while honoring the unique charm of vintage PlayStation graphics.

Ridge Racer PS1 Jamie