Wednesday 16 December 2020 (14:00 GMT) – Codemasters® and suicide prevention charity, Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM), have partnered through a DIRT 5™ in-game activation to encourage the racing community to seek support and discuss issues relating to mental health and suicide.
As part of DIRT 5’s Update 2.00, which launched on PC and PlayStation followed later this week on Xbox, players receive a bespoke CALM liveried Porsche 924 Carrera GTS Rallye. Driving the message ‘Got Your Back, No Matter What’ the car is a reminder that there is always someone out there who is ready to listen and offer support.
The Porsche 924 Carrera GTS Rallye features in the Classic Rally class, racing against other great cars like the Lancia Stratos and Ford Mustang GT Fastback Rally. A supporting video showing the Porsche in action can be viewed here – https://youtu.be/z435gk1yL2c
With the global challenges of COVID-19, and more people around the world becoming isolated with smaller support networks, the partnership allows CALM to take its message to a broader audience and remind gamers of the benefits of opening up and discussing their feelings.
Speaking on the partnership, Ben Hawley, Marketing and Communications Director, CALM said: “For lots of us, playing games is how we relax, socialise and even find support. We know the gaming community is a great place to connect and start conversations. That’s why it was so important for us to partner with Codemasters and bring the CALM message to their players at a time when it's never been needed more. 2020 and the consequences of pandemic lockdowns have seen CALM’s gaming community grow in numbers and strength, something the charity is keen to keep doing in order to provide support to anyone who may need it.”
“Having spent the majority of this year working remotely, the DIRT 5 team knows the importance of continued dialogue and the need to open up about feelings and insecurities,” said Robert Karp, DIRT 5Development Director at Codemasters. “We are proud to support
CALM with this beautiful free livery, and we hope it reminds our racing community of the need to discuss mental health and that there is always someone available to listen.”
As we make our way into 9 months of COVID-19 restrictions, CALM's life-saving services continue to be needed more than ever. Since the first UK wide lockdown the CALM helpline has answered 99,186 calls and chats and directly prevented 323 suicides. That’s over 1 million minutes talking to people and 934,481 chat messages exchanged around topics such as isolation, anxiety, relationship concerns, health worries, financial stress and suicidal thoughts.
DIRT 5 is available now across Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation®4, PlayStation®5, and PC via Steam. A Google Stadia version will launch in early 2021. The game supports Xbox Smart Delivery and PlayStation’s free upgrade when players upgrade to an Xbox Series X|S or PlayStation 5*.
Keep up with all the DIRT 5 news and follow updates from the studio on Instagram, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.
* Discless consoles require a digital entitlement to upgrade
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ABOUT CALM
The Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) is leading a movement against suicide through vital, life-saving support and collective action. If you’re struggling, talk to CALM on 0800 58 58 58 (UK) or through our webchat. Our trained support workers are available from 5pm to midnight every day to provide practical support and advice, whatever you’re going through.
To find out more visit www.thecalmzone.net
ABOUT CODEMASTERS:
Codemasters (AIM:CDM) is an award-winning British video game developer and publisher with over 30 years of heritage. The company specialises in high-quality racing games including DiRT, GRID, and the BAFTA award-winning official F1® series of videogames.
In November 2019 Codemasters acquired Slightly Mad Studios, creators and developers of award-winning IP including the Project CARS franchise.
For more information on Codemasters’ product portfolio, please visit www.codemasters.com. Join in the conversation with @codemasters on Twitter or Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/codemasters