Assetto Corsa Evo: CEO interview brings new insights into EA‘s open world and scope 27 comments
Image: KUNOS Simulations
Marco Massarutto, CEO of Kunos Simulazioni, revealed some news about the open world, off-road mode, the scope of the early access version and a fall 2025 release for the Assetto Corsa Evo in an interview with OverTake .gg Full version promised. One thing in advance: there will be no subscription model.
So far, only visitors to the ADAC SimRacing Expo 2024 have been able to get a first impression of the new Assetto Corsa Evo. The early access (EA) version of Assetto Corsa Evo will begin on January 16, 2025 and the game will now be available to the general public. In an interview with OverTake.gg, Marco Massarutto, CEO of Kunos Simulazioni, shared a whole host of new details about the game.
Open world with an area of 1600 km²
Assetto Corsa Evo will have an open world for the first time in the history of the game series. This 40 by 40 kilometer open world represents the Eifel region, with the Nürburgring Nordschleife at its center. It is intended to expand the gameplay in several facets and bring driving pleasure to players, especially in vehicles, which do not really feel comfortable on classic racing circuits. Marco Massarutto emphasized that this would be a parallel and optional thing and that players and fans of the single or multiplayer mode would not be forced to travel in the open world by the game mechanics.
The Eifel was recreated from real survey data, but reduced to the relevant areas. Iconic sites and places are implemented, but not the entire region. The open world should also be fully navigable off-road; anyone who wants to cross meadows or forests can do so, says Massarutto. There will be no law enforcement officers, speed cameras or penalties for traffic violations. However, no rewards for inappropriate behavior either.
Early access without open world
Either way, players will only be able to try the open world from summer 2025, as it will not be included in the early access version when it releases. At first there will be no traffic, then delivery vans, family cars and trucks will follow. Likewise, the entire open world area will not be available from summer, but will be gradually expanded.
Assetto Corsa Evo (Image: KUNOS Simulazioni)
Scope of Early Access Release
When the early access version is released, 15 tracks will be available. Up to five additional routes will be added over the next four to six months. Online multiplayer, as well as an off-road mode, will be added over time, although online multiplayer is expected to appear much sooner. The price of the Assetto Corsa Evo will be adjusted upward over time as additional content is delivered. Buyers of EA versions should have access to this content at no additional cost. According to Marco Massarutto, there will be no subscription model.
Kunos is not currently considering a career in motorsport. The player will compete in different competitions in their own races to fight for credits, experience points and to obtain driving licenses, but will not be guided by a career mode or story.
Assetto Corsa Evo (Image: KUNOS Simulazioni)
AI and multiplayer capabilities
The AI drivers are said to have been given a personality so that players can better assess their opponents over time. This should apply to both driving skills and style, as well as keyword aggression. Kunos would like to equip the AI with a learning model in order to gradually improve line selection and turning and braking points over time. By using a random model, the AI drivers should make driving mistakes that are not programmed, so as not to make another mistake in the same corner after a restart.
In multiplayer, AI drivers will not be able to fill empty starting positions for the foreseeable future. For online players, there should be some improvements in server selection using filters, a better anti-cheat system and a driver‘s license. The latter should also be required in single player in order to compete in certain vehicle classes and races. The driver rating system will be an improved version of the one in Assetto Corsa Competizione.
Assetto Corsa Evo (Image: KUNOS Simulazioni)
Realistic approach without realistic damage model
The driving model must be calculated in a much more complex way than was the case for the first part. More powerful hardware and more modern technology allow more parameters to be calculated than with Assetto Corsa 1 or Competizione. However, compromises had to be made, particularly in the damage model. Mechanical damage is intended to be implemented in a very immersive way, but random faults are not allowed due to the licensing requirements of car manufacturers. Visual damage cannot be applied equally to all cars, therefore a compromise had to be found so that there were no differences between different manufacturers.
Anyone expecting more realism will also be impressed by the fuel or electricity consumption. Regular refueling or recharging should be necessary; In the case of electric cars, it is not clear whether players have to stay at the charging station for a few minutes. However, Marco Massarutto has often pointed out that realism, especially in the open world, is constantly reduced in favor of the pleasure of playing. In races with more realistic settings, the player will receive higher rewards, i.e. more experience points and credits.
Unlike Part 1, Assetto Corsa Evo also includes dynamic rain and weather as well as day and night changes. All classic conditions such as light rain, heavy rain, closed cloud cover, cloudy and clear are implemented. There won’t be any snow at the time of release, but Massarutto was unable to promise if that will follow in the future. Dynamic weather is limited to race tracks and will not be available in the open world in the same form with puddles, clouds and changing grip conditions.
Assetto Corsa Evo (Image: KUNOS Simulazioni)
Sticker of Assetto Corsa Evo
With the release of the full version in fall 2025, modding will also be made possible; according to Marco Massarutto, this simply does not make sense a priori. An off-road mode with racing tracks and adapted cars will be added in the future. As well as various features that affect player access to car telemetry on the track. The open world will be constantly expanded until it finally reaches the entire 1,600 km². For example, the world is full of gas stations, dealers and many well-known places, companies and buildings in the Eifel around the Green Hell. In drifting, special competitions and vehicle adaptations were promised in the future, without specifying a timetable.
Assetto Corsa Evo will enter Early Access on January 16, 2025 and is expected to launch in full release in Fall 2025. System requirements are not expected to change until EA’s release, but will be checked and adjusted as part of the release. early access. The full interview is included below this news.
A lifelong video game enthusiast, Julien reviews the latest releases and explores the technologies transforming the gaming world.
