Bethesda picks up Wii racer from Archer Maclean's studio

Bethesda Softworks has announced that it will publish a new Wii racing game from Archer Maclean's Awesome Play studio in Europe. Wheelspin, planned for release this fall, is a futuristic racing game with single-console multiplayer for up to eight; a feat accomplished by the simultaneous support of various combinations of Wiimotes, Classic Cons, Nunchuks, GameCube controllers and even GameCube steering wheels.

If Wheelspin sounds familiar to you, it's because it bears a striking resemblance to Speed Zone, a futuristic Wii racing game developed by ... Archer Maclean's Awesome Play and still listed for release this month by publisher Detn8 Games. In fact, judging from screenshots (see above), the two games are one and the same. Bethesda, it seems, has simply sped off with the European publishing rights.