Firemonkeys has released a new developer diary video for one of the most expected racing games of the year, Real Racing 3. In the short 2-minute clip, the developers explain how a new multiplayer feature that’s going to be available to Real Racing 3 players.

Called Time Shift Multiplayer, or TSM, it will let you race against any of your friends playing the game, or anyone else in the world for that matter, without requiring all players to log in and race at the same time, which is how multiplayer racing games are played traditionally.

Because Real Racing 3 is a mobile game, it means not all players will be able to be online at the same time to race their friends, but thanks to TSM they’ll be able to race against the best performance of their friends on any track of the game. Just log in and race against your friends, with AI controlling your friends’ cars, mimicking their driving skills and track times.

In short, it’s like racing in Ghost mode – a mode available in racing games to compete against your previous best times – but you’re actually competing with the ghosts of your friends and other Real Racing 3 drivers around the world. And they're not ghosts.

The game is headed to iOS devices in late February, with Android smartphones and tablets getting it down the road. Are you looking forward to it?