“With the release of EVO last January, the Assetto Corsa franchise has reached over 20 million unique users. This is a great result,” Massarutto said at the event. “These numbers are amazing. If you think that Assetto Corsa is meant to be a realistic simulation, it’s intended to be for ‘niche’ users. But it’s not a niche anymore.”

“It’s not a result of great physics, visuals, sounds, gameplay and modding. It’s a combination of all these things together. But it’s especially the result of a beautiful relationship between a developer and the sim racing community. We created a relationship based on mutual trust that helped us to do what we do. We are developers. But before that, we are sim racers.”

This announcement comes on the heels of the recent announcement of rally racing sim Assetto Corsa Rally, which is slated for release on PC on November 13. The title is going to be an Early Access release, and will include ten licensed vehicles, as well a day/night cycle, and shifting weather, all of which can have heavy impacts on the driving conditions thanks to changes in visibility and traction.

At launch, among the 10 driveable vehicles in Assetto Corsa Rally will be the Lancia Stratos Gr.4 (1976), the Fiat 131 Abarth Gr.4 (1976) and the Peugeot 208 Rally4 (2020). Along with this, the title will also feature locations like Asace and Wales with 33 kilometers of “fully laser-scanned roads.” The title has been described as making use of the same physics engine as the highly-praised one from the original Assetto Corsa.

The company has noted major plans for the game, including 30 different cars, a full-fledged career mode, and more than 120 kilometers of realistically-recreated roads.

In the meantime, the company is also continuing its work on Assetto Corsa EVO, which was released in Early Access back in January. Massarutto had also spoken about the title at SimRacing Expo 2025, noting that the studio is still working hard to make sure that fans of the franchise get what they want from the title.

“As developers, we know the challenges of creating a simulation like Assetto Corsa,” he said. “But as sim racers, we know what we want to drive and play, and we never forget this. This is important because today is a great time to be a sim racer. Assetto Corsa Rally and EVO are the answer to what people want.”

“With EVO, during the early access programme, we are doing our very best to fit with the needs and feedback that we are receiving from the community. We are so amazed because thanks to EVO and the new Assetto Corsa Rally, the franchise is growing at a level we never imagined before.”

MotoGP 24

Unlike many annual sports titles MotoGP developer Milestone strive for meaningful improvement with every iteration, and MotoGP 24 is the biggest leap between versions since the Italian studio took over in 2013. Principal of these changes are bike physics, especially the feel of the rear brakes into corners and the stability of the 2-wheeler as you accelerate out. Competition is fiercer too: adaptive AI and penalties dished out from stewards to any rider on track – not just the player – fosters centimetre-close, front-wheel-to-rear-wheel racing.

]]> 605140 https://gamingbolt.com/assetto-corsa-developer-says-next-game-will-be-a-proper-sequel-not-a-spinoff Tue, 19 Mar 2024 08:42:46 +0000 https://gamingbolt.com/?p=582049 Assetto Corsa developer Kunos Simulazioni has said that the next game in the sim racing franchise will not be a spin-off like Assetto Corsa Competizione, and will instead be a proper sequel.

In an interview with racing game publication OverTake, studio executive Marco Massarutto spoke spoke about the same, saying that AC2 was not an accurate codename for Assetto Corsa Competizione, and that the next instalment, unlike the last one, is going to be a full-fledged sequel. For context, several files in Competizione use AC2 as a descriptor for the game.

“To be brief, the codename [‘AC2‘] that was given to Competizione was wrong,” said Massarutto. “The new Assetto Corsa is going to follow what we did with Assetto Corsa 1. It is not just a sequel, it is much, much, more. It’s definitely not a spin-off like Competizione.”

Massarutto spets quite a bit of the interview talking about an upcoming DLC for Assetto Corsa Competizione that will add the famous Nürburgring Nordschleife as a racetrack. He talked about how the decision to bring the track to the game only happened thanks to a partnership with SRO Motorsports Group for the Intercontinental GT Challenge series, which would bring 24 Hours of Nürburgring to the game.

“My reaction was ‘Oh my god, not now, not now,’” said Massarutto, since it essentially threw the studio’s development schedule into disarray. “This was our initial reaction because our workflow is on a schedule, and we didn’t know anything about the announcement. It was even a surprise to us, even though we have worked with the SRO for many years. They wanted to make a surprise, and they did!”

The release of the new DLC is stated to be one of the reasons for the sequel’s lack of a release date currently. Digital Bros—parent company of publisher 505 Games—revealed in a fiscal report last year, however, that the company is targeting a Spring 2024 launch window for Assetto Corsa 2.

Forza Motorsport

Developer Turn10 has established itself as one of the best names when it comes to delivering racing games that are not only realistic in a visual sense but also from a functional viewpoint. The latest Forza Motorsport is emblematic of those strengths, and this simulation racer improves upon what came before in all the right ways. Right from the visual presentation to the new dynamic daytime systems to the carefully recreated cars, Forza Motorsport is a consistently impressive experience that can take up dozens upon dozens of hours.

In 2021, it was confirmed that the developer was working on Assetto Corsa 2, with a launch planned for sometime in 2024, and now, a narrower release window has been provided. Digital Bros, the parent company of Assetto Corsa publisher 505 Games, has confirmed in its latest fiscal report (via @MauroNL3 on Twitter) that Assetto Corsa 2 will launch sometime in Spring 2024. When it will be announced or what platforms it will release for remains to be seen.

Meanwhile, it’s also been revealed that the Assetto Corsa series has now collectively sold over 28 million units worldwide as of December 31 last year, raking in over €104 million in revenue.

Previously, it was confirmed that an Assetto Corsa game is also in development for mobile devices, but there are no updates yet on how its production is going or when it might launch.

The Assetto Corsa franchise has sold over 28 million units as of December 31, 2022. Revenues for the franchise have exceeded €104m since its inception in 2014.

The "second version" of Assetto Corsa is planned for a Spring 2024 release. pic.twitter.com/TNGYIn6WhQ

— MauroNL (@MauroNL3) March 15, 2023

Digital Bros, parent company of Assetto Corsa publisher 505 Games, recently published their quarterly fiscal report, in which they confirmed that Assetto Corsa (including the additional episode Assetto Corsa Competizione) has sold a total of 12 million units, raking in over €66 million of revenue. Assetto Corsa 2 is in development as well, and is currently targeting a launch in 2024- so, you know, it’s going to be a while.

Before that, however, there’s still more Assetto Corsa coming up. A mobile version of the racing simulator is also in the works, Digital Bros confirms, and it will be out some time this Summer.

Assetto Corsa Competizione, meanwhile, is currently available on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. It will be launching for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S later this year.

After some not-so-subtle teasing, Microsoft has confirmed that Remedy Entertainment’s Control will be coming to Xbox Game Pass on December 3rd. It will be available for console players and also playable on Android. The Game Bakers’ RPG Haven will be out on the same day for console and PC subscribers. PC subscribers will also finally get their hands on DOOM Eternal.

Other titles slated for the same day include RAGE 2 for Android, Slime Rancher for consoles and Android, Va-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action for PC, and Yes, Your Grace for all three platforms. Dragon Quest 11 S: Echoes of an Elusive Age – Definitive Edition arrives on December 4th for console and PC subscribers. Next week sees the release of Call of the Sea for console, PC and Android.

Monster Sanctuary will be exiting Steam Early Access on the same day and available to console and Android players on Game Pass. The recently announced Unto The End will be available on December 9th for console and PC subscribers. On December 10th, Assetto Corsa, Gang Beasts, Superhot: Mind Control Delete, Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair, and GreedFall will be added to the service. Overall, it’s a very packed month for subscribers – stay tuned for updates on other titles as they’re added.

As I’ve already said, the driving itself in Assetto Corsa is sheer bliss. From the handling to the physics, everything feels appropriately weighty and ridiculously accurate. Almost every car feels different from all the others, with its own unique quirks, strengths and flaws, and mastering how to drive each vehicle is a joyous exercise in and of itself. Assetto Corsa is best played with a steering wheel, which is how I spent the bulk of my time playing it, but even without one, using just a regular controller, it plays really, really well. Sure, there’s a noticeable lag, and the pinpoint accuracy of the steering wheel isn’t quite there (nowhere is this more apparent than when you’re racing your own steering wheel ghosts), but on the whole, driving cars using a controller still feels pretty great.

"Driving in Assetto Corsa is an absolute joy."

There is a learning curve here though. Kunos Simulazioni clearly made this game with the most dedicated and hardcore driving sim enthusiasts in mind, which means that someone who doesn’t have much experience with this type of game, or someone who’s racing games experience is limited to the likes of Burnout and Need for Speed, probably won’t enjoy this game as much (not unless you’re willing to invest a lot of time into learning its ins and outs). As for myself, I probably fall somewhere in the middle ground. I like racing sims, and I play a few of them every now and then, but I wouldn’t call myself a veteran of the genre. As such, the learning curve was a bit of a steep one for me, but as far as the driving was concerned, I enjoyed how responsive and natural it all felt, and I couldn’t help but enjoy every minute of it.

But while driving is, admittedly, the most fundamental foundation a racing sim is built on, there are a lots of other strong pillars it needs to stand on as well, and without all these supporting elements in place, the game is nothing but a rickety house swaying on top of a single pillar. Unfortunately, that is exactly what Assetto Corsa is, because outside of the driving, it falls short in almost every other area. Starting with the basics, the roster of cars here is disappointingly small, while the selection of tracks is even more limited. Variety in both these areas is quite important in a game such as Assetto Corsa, and it’s disappointing that it falls short in both of them. Sure, the cars that are in the game are all excellently built- they all drive great, and they all look good too (some of them have really neat and detailed interiors as well), but it’s hard to understand why the developers couldn’t include a much larger roster in the game.

"Outside of the driving, Assetto Corsa falls short in almost every other area."

The biggest issue, however, has to be with the game’s difficulty. I understand how ridiculous it usually is to criticise a game for being too difficult, with “get good” being an appropriate response in most cases, but that just isn’t true for Assetto Corsa. Why? Well, because the game’s difficulty isn’t a product of it being actually challenging, of it putting your driving skills to the test. No, Assetto Corsa is difficult because of how poorly optimized it is, which makes its difficulty frustrating rather than rewarding. The biggest offender in this case has to be the AI- just as an example, AI racers seem to be almost completely immune to any physical impact, whereas even the slightest touches can send you veering completely off-course and losing all control. A good racing sim is one that puts you and the computer on equal footing, but that just doesn’t seem to be the case in Assetto Corsa. AI opponents can crash into you to send you off the track, but when you try to do the same, it has the opposite effect.

As a result, career mode and special events end up feeling more like a chore. What also doesn’t help is that rather than making you feel like you’re actually progressing as a driver, as a career mode in a racing sim ideally should, the career mode here feels more like a checklist. There’s no real sense of progression here, no real satisfaction or achievement, and most of that boils down to how unfairly difficult the game can often be. Going online and playing against real opponents is a markedly better experience, but sadly enough, finding races isn’t as quick and convenient as it should be.

"Assetto Corsa is difficult because of how poorly optimized it is, which makes its difficulty frustrating rather than rewarding."

There’s a lot of other stuff that gave me the impression that Assetto Corsa is kind of an unfinished game. The user interface, for one, is surprisingly obtuse (crawling through main menus is a chore, and this isn’t a criticism I thought I would ever have to make). All of this comes together to make Assetto Corsa feel a little barebones, like it could have used maybe a year more of development to help add more content and polish to the overall package.

All of these criticisms feel even more ingratiating because if not for them, this truly could have ended up becoming one of the best racing sims out there. When I was simply doing time trials or racing against my own ghosts, Assetto Corsa was an absolute joy- because in those moments, the game was about nothing more or less than pure driving, the one area where it excels. Sadly enough, it’s let down in almost all the other areas that matter, and as a result, what we end up with is a solid core, but one that is wrapped in layers and layers of mediocrity.

You know, as big as Forza and DriveClub and Gran Turismo are, the best racing game this generation may be none of those- it may actually be the little known Assetto Corsa, a highly authentic racing sim by Kunos. The game was previously available only on PCs, but console versions are on the horizon, even if they have been delayed a bit into August.

Speaking to Red Bull, Kunos co-founder and executive manager Marco Massarutto discussed the upcoming game’s console release- and while he was discussing that, he got into talking about some other hardware on the horizon by the console makers, such as the PlayStation VR headset, or the upgraded Xbox One and PS4 consoles that are all but confirmed at this point.

“With the PlayStation, of course our first priority is to get the game out so as many people as possible can enjoy it,” Massarutto said, in response to a question asking him about whether or not the team might support the PSVR. “When it comes to the PS version of VR, the big problem is performance there but, you know, they may be coming out with that new upgraded model.”

In a lot of ways, what he says echoes what we have been hearing about the PS4 Neo and PSVR recently, each rumor lending more credence to the other. It sounds like PSVR definitely cannot work well on base console units- that the PS4 Neo is what leads to an acceptable level of performance there.

That new, upgraded PS4 console, then- Red Bull decided to ask him about that. Would that be something his team would be interested in doing?

“We’re a small studio, so time is always our bottleneck. There is only so much we can physically do. We need to shoot at the bigger target first and hit that. I don’t think we are going to be opening the market there, leading or something. We’ll wait,” he said.

Honestly, that sounds like a sensible course of action here- especially since, given just how new and radical the concept of iterative consoles is right now, it’s not even known if the PS4 Neo and Xbox One Scorpio will actually be successful.

505 Games and Kunos Simulazioni’s Assetto Corsa has received a brand new trailer, which showcases the upcoming console version of the highly acclaimed racing sim. The new trailer is called ‘Engineered to Perfection,’ and it shows how Assetto Corsa was made as accurate as possible.

The game was created using real manufacturer data and telemetry, and it provides “pure driving realism” in every area, from bespoke handling, to precision physics, to nearly 100 cars in meticulous detail. The game will let players drive dream cars from leading manufacturers on laser scanned real tracks, in the most realistic racing simulation there is on the market right now- Gran Turismo and Forza Motorsport have nothing on it.

You can check out this trailer for yourself below. Let us know in the comments what you think of it, and whether or not you intend to buy it when it releases. Meanwhile, PC players can sound off on how good (or not) they find the game.