2024 is set to be a seminal year for Assetto Corsa. Not only is the Nurburgring Nordschleife finally coming to Assetto Corsa Competizione next month, but Assetto Corsa 2 is expected to arrive this Summer.
Although Assetto Corsa 2 has yet to be unveiled, Kunos Simulazioni is setting player expectations astronomically high for the long-awaited sequel.
Kunos Simulazioni: Assetto Corsa 2 “is not a spin-off like Competizione”
Speaking to OverTake, Kunos Simulazioni’s executive manager, Marco Massarutto, clarified Assetto Corsa Competizione’s position in the franchise. “To be brief, the codename [‘AC2’ is used in several game files and error notices for ACC] that was given to Competizione was wrong,” he said.
Kunos Simulazioni hasn’t unveiled Assetto Corsa 2 yet. At this point, we don’t even know if the sequel will be called Assetto Corsa 2. However, Massarutto confirmed the next Assetto Corsa game will be a direct sequel rather than a spin-off.
“The new Assetto Corsa is going to follow what we did with Assetto Corsa ‘1,’” Massarutto said. While he didn’t reveal any details, he teased that “it is not just a sequel, it is much, much, more. It’s definitely not a spin-off like Competizione.”
What do we know about Assetto Corsa 2 so far?
There’s a lot of mystery surrounding Assetto Corsa 2. Kunos has confirmed the next Assetto Corsa will run on an in-house engine like the original game rather than Unreal Engine 4 like Assetto Corsa Competizione.
The latest earnings report from Kunos’s owner, Digital Bros, slates Assetto Corsa 2 for a Summer 2024 release. Like Le Mans Ultimate, it will initially be an early access release.
It was previously set for a Spring 2024 release before Kunos prioritised developing the Nurburgring Nordschleife for Assetto Corsa Competizione.
The team was surprised when it was announced that the Nordschleife will join the GT World Challenge calendar. “My reaction was ‘Oh my god, not now, not now,’” Massarutto said.
“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!”
Other than these details, little is known about Assetto Corsa 2. Massarutto’s comments imply the next game will continue the original’s direction, with a mix of road and thoroughbred competition cars. Conversely, Assetto Corsa Competizione only features cars and tracks from the GT World Challenge.
"2024 will be very important for us"
With the sequel expected to incorporate Competizione's physics improvements and dynamic weather, Assetto Corsa 2 is easily one of the most anticipated racing games coming in 2024.
“I would say that 2024 will be very important for us, because we have a lot of releases, like the new Assetto Corsa and the Nordschleife DLC – these are huge things,” said Massarutto.
“So, we are trying to do our best to make our audience very happy. Hopefully, we will manage it, but we need to wait and see.”
Are you excited about Assetto Corsa 2? Let us know in the comments below.
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