By Marco Massarutto (Executive Manager – Kunos Simulazioni)

Another year has passed, actually, our greatest one since we founded Kunos Simulazioni almost 12 years ago. We announced the Assetto Corsa project in December 2011, and so many things have happened since. We would have never imagined that one day the game was going to be ported on PS4 and XB1, and even less that Assetto Corsa was going to feature such licenses and partnerships with the most important and iconic car manufacturers! The Porsche Program we unveiled this year has been awesome, and we are so proud to be able to share with our fans the very best of their production. 24 Porsche cars reproduced in direct and close connection with their R&D department, as well as the Porsche Historic Museum. What a journey! We’ll never forget it, from a professional and human point of view.

The porting of Assetto Corsa on the consoles has been an incredible journey as well, a crazy challenge for a little team like ours, and I would like to thank all our community for their awesome support and patience. We have faced a challenge that was totally new for us, discovering that there is much more behind the scenes, that is not related to coding, performances, features (I mean, the kind of things that as developers we are used to knowing and managing), but that needs to be done. Being able to release the game on PS4, XB1 and continue to keep it updated and optimize it also on PC has been very challenging and it’s pushed each single member of our team to the limit. But we did it, and your support and constructive criticism has given us additional motivation to work at our very best. I would like to take this opportunity to thank 505 Games, our publisher for the console version of Assetto Corsa. They have supported us at their best and have never asked or proposed us to change the DNA of our simulation “just” to please a wider audience. In a world dominated only by numbers, we really appreciate it, and thanks to this, our fans today can enjoy a genuine simulation on the consoles. That, followed by Top Gear magazine, seeing that Assetto Corsa is one of the 2016’s seven greatest gaming moments!  And how I could not mention the RedBull.com award that ASSETTO CORSA won, as READERS’ RACING GAME OF THE YEAR?  Simply outstanding, thank you so much!

So… What now?

Well, we are going to surprise you in 2017. With new features and content, new DLCs as well free bonus cars and tracks. The latest PC build of Assetto Corsa introduced the customized championship, a very appreciated feature that will be explicit even better in future, and that will be extended also to the console version. At the moment, the team is working on private lobbies that will allow gamers to create their own races with their friends and create leagues. Also, we’ll continue to work to improve the control customization on console.

While you wait to get your hands on these new features, you will have a lot of fun with some new content: the Porsche Pack Vol. 3 will land on PS4 and XB1 as soon as possible, but it will not come alone. Let’s talk about tracks, shall we? The operations and logistics needed to bring the Mazda Laguna Seca Raceway in Assetto Corsa needed more time than supposed, and while we confirm you will finally put your wheels on this iconic track within half 2017, we’ll keep you busy with a new – surprising – circuit, created from scratch and designed to meet your requests.

In fact, since the “ideal” circuit doesn’t exist in the real world, we created it. Do you like city tracks? Drift layouts? Endurance courses? Then you will get all of them, with a new circuit, that will be available as free bonus content, in 4 different configurations, ideally placed in Scotland and created in partnership with Nvidia and Sparco. This track will allow you to enjoy each car included in Assetto Corsa, from the very little and quiet Abarth 595 to the racing cars designed for endurance racing, to the GT cars you are enjoying so much. We’ll unveil more details very soon, our aim is to release it within the Q1 2017.

It’s time also for some new free bonus cars, like the Mazda 787B, the Miata NA, the new Maserati Quattroporte and the new Audi TT.  Then, we’ll be back with a new awesome “British Pack” that will bring you the latest line-up from McLaren, Lotus and maybe, something more. After that, we’ll welcome you again in our beautiful Italy, the Country of Alfa Romeo, Maserati and the Ferrari. Yes, the Ferrari: As you might know, in 2017 we will celebrate 70 years of the most iconic automotive Brand, and we’ll do it in our style, with seven of the most iconic and famous models created in Maranello. You can already start to think about your favorite ones because you will have the chance to vote for it!

We’ve also started to work to create some new and solid basis for the future. Assetto Corsa is so much more we ever imagined, and our company has grown so much since we founded it. In the last period, we worked to grow, evolve and improve our teamwork and logistics. Taking advantage of the maintenance operations that will involve the Vallelunga circuit for all of 2017, we are now putting the final touches together to open a new studio, still close to the Autodromo di Vallelunga, but with dedicated areas for VR, testing, multiplayer and R&D, that will allow us to work better! We will also be able to invite our guests, customers and gamers to an environment specifically designed for the production of racing games and simulations. This means there might be the possibility to invite our fans and supporters to our studio to discover what is in progress, and for massive testing, without the limitations imposed in a locations designed mainly for track activities.

So, another exciting year is approaching, but we haven’t told you everything yet! All of this wouldn’t have been possible without your dedication, support and -let me say- love for what we have done here. Believe me, the passion we see every day around Assetto Corsa, through these years, have given us the determination to work at our best even when things are not easy, and especially when we have faced some tricky challenges.

One final thing… Thanks to the great partnership with SPARCO, who recently officially jumped into the gaming world introducing a new dedicated cockpit, in 2017 we’ll unveil the most wanted official Assetto Corsa merchandise that you’ve been asking for! Stay tuned for more info! 😉