The original Assetto Corsa is 10 years old, T-E-N. But its popularity today is as great as it ever has been - fuelled by a community of modders creating new content and enhancements to the visual engine all the time.
The Assetto Corsa franchise in itself is a true sim racing success story as a lot of those not investing their time in the original AC, are instead driving Assetto Corsa Competizione - the GT racing spin-off of the OG. So with two hugely successful titles, why is Evo so important?
The sim racing industry has grown exponentially in the past ten years, but there is a reason that older titles have remained so successful - partly due to the failure of others to beat what Kunos have produced - partly due to the failure of some others to deliver anything at all.
Some titles have been launched and stayed effectively in a ‘work in progress’ state such as Automobilista 2. The sim is now a phenomenally accomplished title, but struggles to build the number of users that can compete on a wider scale.
And then there are those newer titles that retain huge question marks.
Le Mans Ultimate released late and in ‘early access’ state earlier this year. What we see so far has great promise and has built a decent following - but questions remain around whether the early promise remains enough to keep the investment coming to Motorsport Games and if we will ever see the final polished product.
Rennsport may be getting plenty of run outs in esports (ESL R1 and the newly announced Esports World Cup as examples), but its popularity amongst everyday sim racers remains small and the appetite seems to be waning as delay mounts upon delay. A new, complex, elongated roadmap did nothing to quell those concerns either.
As for those that failed to materialise, a tear still comes to my eye when I berate the loss of a potential BTCC game…
All of this makes Assetto Corsa Evo the next big hope.
The wishlist seems to be simple. AC choice and flexibility with ACC look, feel and modernity. But is that what we will get?
The suggestion is that the title will build upon the legacy of AC - but promises to be something more. “...it is not just a sequel, it is much, much, more.” suggested Kunos Simulazioni’s Marco Massarutto when talking to Overtake earlier this year.
The lack of detail so far is worrying for many… but for the industry it is surely exciting and will keep us engaged until we know more details later in the year.
Assetto Corsa Evolution is expected to show up in ‘early access’ in Summer 2024.
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