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Assetto Corsa EVO: all about the Kunos simu (Update 22/01/25)

Flo

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You’ve all been waiting for it: the new car simulation title Assetto Corsa EVO will be released on January 16, 2025 as an Early Access version! This article summarizes the latest news about the title, and will be updated as information becomes available. The title is eagerly awaited by both players and publisher Digital Bros. By December 31, 2022, 28 million copies of AC1 had been sold. All this for sales of over €104 million (source: Digital Bros. financial report, March 2023).

The best-selling video game was thetimeless Assetto Corsa, an intellectual property owned by the Group and developed by an in-house studio, which continued to outperform, exceeding 12 million euros in sales during the period under review.

Digital Bros

Original publication: March 4, 2024. Last update: 22/01/2025 – Authors: Mycroft, Slawek, Sam and Flo

Assetto Corsa EVO release date

According to Digital Bros (which includes Kunos), AC2 was originally scheduled for release in spring 2024. Then it was shifted to summer 2024 to give Kunos time to release the ACC 2024 pack (source: Digital Bros financial report of November 2023). But the release date has been pushed back again, this time to January 16 , 2025 in Early Access.

(…) the development of the new version of Assetto Corsa by subsidiary Kunos Simulazioni S.r.l., scheduled for launch in the next financial year;

Digital Bros

PC first, console later

Digital Bros favors a PC release before a console release, the date of which has not yet been determined (source: June 2023 financial report):

The group’s strategy for the next fiscal year is to release the PC version of the Assetto Corsa sequel

Digital Bros

A better life for a studio

As of January 2020, Stefano Casillo (head of AC 1 development, see his review of Assetto Corsa’s FFB settings) announces on Facebook that he is leaving Kunos, so will not be involved in Assetto Corsa 2 (EVO).

For the first time since 2005, I woke up and didn’t sit in front of my computer thinking about the development of Kunos Simulazioni software. Yes, it may come as a surprise, but as of today, I’m no longer directly involved in the development of Kunos Simulazioni software.

Stefano Casillo

Four years later, it’s Aristotelis Vasilakos (responsible for physics on AC2) who leaves Kunos for a new professional adventure, not without making our mouths water:

Believe me when I tell you that 2024 will be an incredible event. You’re going to be blown away by what’s coming out.

Aristotelis Vasilakos

Technical information

The cars featured on Assetto Corsa EVO

Whereas Assetto Corsa Competizione was a bit of a spin-off, focusing solely on the GT4, GT3 and now GT2 categories, Assetto Corsa EVO will clearly return to what made the first opus such a timeless success. Namely, a multitude of categories in both racing and road vehicles. And, of course, from different eras!

An idea that has been confirmed several times over, thanks in part to the trailer and first images unveiled by Marco Massarutto on the multiplayer.it website. Here’s the list of vehicles included in Assetto Corsa EVO early access:

Yes, vehicles can be customized

To take the pleasure of owning and collecting vehicles even further, Kunos has added a customization option. As soon as you buy a car, you’ll be able to choose not only its engine, but also its interior and exterior finishes. It’s as if you were actually at the dealership. Will these customizations be as advanced as those offered by luxury manufacturers? We’ll see! And to take things a step further, you’ll also be able to customize your vehicles with third-party parts.

For each car, there will be all the configurations and engines you’d find at any dealership. If your favorite car is sold in gasoline or diesel, to give you an example, or has a version that mounts 17-inch wheels with a sunroof, then it’ll be the same in our game.

Davide Brivio at Multiplayer.it

The tracks available in Assetto Corsa EVO

Here are the first 5 tracks available in Assetto Corsa EVO in early access.

Freeroam on Assetto Corsa Evo: 1600 square kilometers to explore in Germany!

It has also been confirmed that we’ll be able to drive around 1600 square kilometers of German roads in the Eifel region, close to the famous Nordschleife track. These roads will offer an unrivalled level of detail, thanks to the Laser Scans produced for the occasion. All with traffic management. But above all, there will also be challenges on the map, the possibility of renting vehicles, buying spare parts to customize your cars, and other still-secret new features!

The map will be available in part from summer 2025, and new areas and features will be added later.

Will we be able to mod Assetto Corsa Evo? Yes.

Let’s face it, the modding on Assetto Corsa Evo has reached new heights in terms of quality. Whether on vehicles, tracks or even the features added to the game. Modders have enabled AC to remain one of the most-played racing simulations almost 10 years after its release. So, unless you want to start a civil war, Kunos should allow modding. Otherwise, check out AC1.

Find out more: Essential mods for Assetto Corsa

Modding (AC1) is our first benchmark (…) I know that 30 seconds after EVO’s release I’ll see a YouTube video with parity of cars and tracks (…) the kind of problems we like to have!

Marco speaks to multiplayer.it

On July 11, 2024, the Traxion.gg website was able to gather more information from the developers of Assetto Corsa 2 :

What we want to avoid this time are abuses in the way certain Assetto Corsa mods are used, because we don’t like to see stolen content (…)

When someone takes content from another game using third-party tools and simply installs it in the game, or sells it on third-party websites, that’s far from how we see it. We think it also reflects badly on people who spend a lot of time creating original content.

This time, we want to see how we can support good modders so as to create a synergy between the studio and the most talented creators.

Traxion.gg

So, it will indeed be possible to install mods on Assetto Corsa EVO. The question now is how this will be made possible and organized. Good news for the incredibly talented modders who made AC EVO the first of its kind, a must-have car sim.

Vehicle physics

Given the evolution of AC to ACC, there’s every reason to be optimistic. In his interview with multiplayer.it, Marco insisted that he was extremely proud of the new milestone they had reached.

A new mathematical model has also been created to better recreate the sensations and types of track. But also to further push back the limits of weather changes and their impact on driving.

3D engine

The information was provided by Kunos co-founder Marco Massarutto on the Traxion podcast;

We’re developing a new technology for the engine. We won’t be using Unreal because we need greater flexibility. We’re very happy with what we’ve done with Competizione and Epic Games. But today, we’re developing a new technology to better meet our needs.

Marco Massarutto

So it’s a brand-new in-house engine that will be used for AC2, as for the first one, but not like ACC, which uses Unreal Engine. By not using Unreal Engine, we’re making sure that we have a tool that we’ve mastered and that won’t disrupt the game with every engine update. Marco cited, among other things, the FFB problems ACC experienced a few months ago, which were linked to a UE sound bank update. A problem they certainly don’t want to repeat.

VR and Triple Screen compatibility

In the interview with multiplayer.it, Marco confirms that the aim is clearly to have VR compatibility as soon as the game is released. According to him, to date between 5 and 10% of AC gamers ride in VR, and he feels it’s vital to optimize the game in this direction, even if it’s still a “niche within a niche” market. Triple screen will also be supported at release.

Career mode

A career mode will be present, even if Marco doesn’t seem to be the biggest fan of the genre, which he considers a “necessary evil”.

Online mode

Of course, online mode is a must for AC Evo. But I think it’s interesting to note that the game won’t have any “season pass”-type services for taking part in online races or gaining advantages – that’s all Marco was willing to reveal.

Dynamic weather and 24-hour races

As we saw in the trailer released on September 30, 2024 (available at the top of the article), there will indeed be access to dynamic weather and 24-hour races in ACE. The evolution of track conditions and aslphalt should also (according to an email communication from Kunos) be “the most advanced to date”.

PC requirements

With images like these, you’d expect to need a PC worthy of SpaceX to run the game. But surprisingly, if you look at the info available on the game’s Steam page, that’s not really the case! Of course, it remains to be seen whether the Steam info on minimum and recommended PC configurations is definitive.

The future of Assetto Corsa Competizione

The competitive / eSport aspect should remain confined to ACC, which would otherwise lose quite a lot of added value. What is certain is that the GT 2024 season has been signed. It will therefore be added to the game shortly. The 2025 season has not yet been confirmed, as the team is hard at work on EVO.

More on that right here!

I’m sure you’re as eager as we are to find out more about Assetto Corsa EVO. Marco has confirmed that there will be news over Fall 2025. We’re almost tempted to fast-forward to the end of the year, but let’s enjoye Early Access first. In any case, you’ll find all the new information as it comes out on this very article, which we’ll keep up to date!

Until then, we’ll be in the comments to discuss them 🙂