More than 73 million players have downloaded Zynga and NaturalMotion’s drag racing game CSR Racing 2.

Speaking to PocketGamer.Biz, CSR Racing 2 VP Julian Widdows delved into the importance of live ops and how it has helped drive audience engagement.

Having launched back in 2016, CSR Racing 2 has been going strong with a slew of updates and in-game events. The latest of these is the Legends update - the game's largest to date - which gives players access to classic cars and the ability to customise them.

According to Zynga, CSR Racing 2 has been the number one grossing racing game in over 120 countries, one of which is the US.

A glance over at App Annie also reveals that it has hit the top spot for grossing overall in 63 countries on iOS.

Revving up

“The reality is what we operate is a live service,” said Widdows.

"It is a game, obviously, but also a long-term commitment to our players. The reason people are loyal to the game, to the brand and to NaturalMotion is that we continue to support that player base throughout the year.

“So for 12 months of the year we're always thinking about what we can bring to the player. If you look at our car content updates, the variety of events we bring to the players - whether it's things like the Porsche 70th anniversary, the Ferrari anniversary, the exclusives, or just the standard cadence of prize cars we bring to the game - we're always adding new content.”

Widdows also went into some of the car brands that make up the titles eclectic roster, with CSR Racing 2 partnering with over 40 OEM brands including Toyota, Ford, BMW, Ferrari, Porsche, Lamborghini, McLaren and Bugatti.

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