FlatOut
| FlatOut | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | 
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| Publisher(s) | 
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| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 4, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation Portable, Wii, Android, OS X, Linux, Meta Quest, PlayStation 5 | 
| First release | FlatOut November 5, 2004 | 
| Latest release | FlatOut 4: Total Insanity March 17, 2017 | 
FlatOut is a series of action demolition derby/racing video games created by Finnish independent video game developer Bugbear Entertainment. The FlatOut series has sold a total of almost 3 million units worldwide. After Bugbear developed FlatOut: Head On, Dutch video game developer Team6 Game Studios developed the next three games in the series, which are the Windows-exclusive FlatOut 3 and two spin-offs on Wii and Android. Kylotonn developed the series' fourth installment, FlatOut 4: Total Insanity, which was released on March 17, 2017 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in Europe and May 2 in the United States. In 2024, Flat2VR Studios announced a remake of FlatOut (2004) for Meta Quest, PSVR2, and SteamVR.
The series has received both critical acclaim during Bugbear's development and notable negative reception after the bankruptcy of Empire Interactive and ownership change to Team6 with most notably FlatOut 3: Chaos & Destruction being considered one of the worst video games of all time and FlatOut 2 being considered the best in the series. It was called a welcome addendum to the derby-racing genre at first but eventually died out due to a lack of critical reception alongside constant developer and publisher changes. Original developer Bugbear have since released Wreckfest (2017), which is considered a spiritual successor to the FlatOut series.