Rockstar’s underrated franchise hides a sad true story! Understand

Since its debut in 2000, the franchise Midnight Club won over a legion of fans with its premise of street racing through iconic cities like New York, Los Angeles, Paris and Tokyo. Well, Rockstar certainly had great inspirations to bring all the magic of the tracks to video games — although the real story that inspired the series has a rather tragic ending.

Each title in the franchise offers a variety of customizable cars and bikes, as well as engaging game modes ranging from traditional races to intense police chases. The fact is that Midnight Club has established a prestigious place among games of its kind and offers a dynamic experience that captures the essence of street racing culture.

Midnight Club was inspired by a group of Japanese pilots

Mid Night Club was a legendary Japanese street racing group that operated primarily during the 1980s and 1990s. Known for their illegal and high-risk races on Tokyo’s highways, particularly the Bayshore Route Expressway, the group established a strict code of conduct to ensure the safety of both their own drivers and other motorists in the Japanese capital.

The Mid Night Club members drove highly modified cars, capable of reaching speeds of over 300 km/h. One of their most iconic cars was the Yoshida Special 930s, an iconic Porsche that was rumored to have received over $2 million in tuning from one of the group’s drivers.

Yoshida Special 930s, iconic Porsche owned by one of the Mid Night Club members who reportedly received over $2 million in tuning.Fonte:  The Back Roads

The group’s notoriety and mystique grew due to their exclusivity, skill, and mysterious nature, but their activities were discontinued in 1999 after a serious accident. At the time, the Mid Night Club was disbanded after getting into trouble with a group of Bosozoku (formed by delinquent bikers), who decided to “play” with some members of Mid Night no Wangan while they were racing.

This conflict ended up generating a chase between the drivers that night in 1999 — and since there were several cars and motorcycles customized to reach high speeds, the outcome was tragic. After both gangs entered an area of ​​heavy traffic, an accident occurred that killed two Bosozoku members and hospitalized eight drivers, six innocent civilians and two alleged Mid Night Club drivers.

The Mid Night Club group ended its activities in 1999 after a tragic accident involving members of a Bosozoku gang.Font: Eau Rouge Workshop

Due to the club’s decision not to endanger drivers, and this being an extremely serious incident, the club was immediately disbanded. The cars involved in the gang were hidden or destroyed, and the Mid Night Club is remembered to this day as one of the most iconic and respected street racing groups in Japanese automotive history.

Now, the group’s legacy also lives on through the Rockstar game franchise, which, unfortunately, has not received any new games for over a decade. So, did you know the story of Mid Night Club? Tell us about it on social media. Voxel!