Between launching a brand new electric truck and creating one-off project cars to honor the LBGTQ+ community, Ford is doing their part to help bring some fun to some kids who need it. Last year, Ford launched their own eSports initiative called “Team Fordzilla.”

Team Fordzilla is made up of an international roster of the top YouTube gaming personalities, eSports athletes, and motorsport athletes, including Indy Car series driver Alex Palou. The Team competes in eSports race events and other motorsport events and is all backed by Ford. Recently, Team Fordzilla launched a program to bring accessible gaming to youth in the United Kingdom in an innovative way. Thus, the “Gaming Transit” was born.

Team Fordzilla Gaming Transit

The Ford Transit van is one of the brand’s most successful vehicles due to its malleable nature. The Transit can be outfitted from the factory with use cases covering everything from cargo purposes for businesses to luxurious interiors for RV use. The Transit’s boxy shape and large dimensions make it a versatile vehicle for several types of interior and exterior modifications.

When Team Fordzilla wanted to find a way to bring accessible gaming to youth who need it, they decided that the Ford Transit would be the perfect foundation. Together with design and engineering company MS-RT, Team Fordzilla designed the Gaming Transit into the ultimate mobile video game station. MS-RT specializes in taking Ford Transit vans and turning them into custom, motorsport-inspired vehicles. One of their specialties is turning Transit vans into support cars that carry spare parts and other necessities that a team might need during a stage rally.

The Gaming Transit is a different beast entirely. The interior of the Gaming Transit houses three gaming suites. Each suite is separated by dividers and has germ-resistant medical-grade laminate finishes. Each suite is also equipped with an Xbox Series S console connected to 32-inch gaming monitors. The Gaming Transit has an external station that features two racing simulator rigs that utilize dual-screen setups for more immersion.

The Gaming Transit is all about accessible gaming

The Gaming Transit will visit different hospitals and special education needs schools around the U.K. to bring gaming to kids with limited mobility. To make the gaming suites as accessible as possible, each one features the Xbox Adaptive controller, which allows external buttons and joysticks to be installed so that anyone with limited dexterity can still easily use them.

Team Fordzilla reached out to vehicle modifier Allied Mobility to install a wheelchair lift and folding ramp to make the van wheelchair accessible with easy entry and exit. The interior leather seats within the gaming suites can fold away to make room for wheelchairs as well.

Mandy Dean, Director Commercial Vehicles Ford of Britain and Ireland said, “Gaming Transit has already been a massive success in Europe. It was so heartening to see how much fun it can bring to children and we’re looking forward to our leg of the tour, visiting hospices and schools across the UK, that are truly remarkable in their work with special educational needs children.”

Kudos to Team Fordzilla. It is great to see car customization and gaming come together for a great cause. We hope that Ford and other manufacturers explore executing programs like this in other countries on a broader scale in the future.