Greetings everyone! Slightly early development update this month to bring you all some exciting news!
In last month´s development update we estimated AMS2 to come out of Early Access some time in mid June - as it turned out we ended up stretching that a bit further, but we can finally confirm Automobilista 2 will be officially released at some point tomorrow, June 30th!
Since the last Early Access update we have continued to push hard these last couple of weeks to ensure v1.0 is a big jump from the latest v0.9.7.0, and that I think we have achieved - v1.0 packs a ton of new content, several key developments in all areas of the game, as well as the new championship mode (albeit limited for this first release).
We are happy to say we have also fulfilled the majority of the goals we had set out to achieve during Early Access, and the little bits that are still due should not take much longer. The official release of course does not mean the game is done - as we keep stressing AMS2 is a long-term project which will continue to see major game updates covering every front of development and bundles of new cars and tracks (free and paid) being released in a monthly basis all the way to the end of the year and beyond - the V1 milestone is all but the end of the beginning, a solid baseline upon which we will continue to build on for a long time.
As I write this we are still working around the clock to get this release ready tomorrow so let´s go straight to what you should know about what is coming tomorrow:
[h2]Lots of New Content[/h2]
Those coming from v0.9.7.0 will find plenty of new content to enjoy in v1.0: of the cars and tracks previously released in Automobilista 1, we have added the original Stock Car season from 1979 complete with historical liveries; the reformed Granja Viana kart track with its latest configurations; revived the much missed Autodromo Nelson Piquet in Brasilia and Copa Montana series, rounding up our AMS1 upgrades for AMS2 release. More oldies will be added later on this year so don´t lose faith you´re see one of your old favorites back!
The highlights however are in the brand new stuff: there´s a classic portuguese track, our first two of several recently licensed Ginettas (G55 GT4 Supercup & G58 that competes in P1 class of Brazilian Endurance), the revamped F-Retro series in its first generation, featuring no less than 3 classic Grand Prix cars - the Lotus 72E, the Brabham BT44 and Mclaren M23 - tossing these cars sideways around one of our growing roster of historical tracks which already includes 1970s versions of Interlagos, Imola, Kyalami, Spielberg, with Hockenheimring and Silverstone soon to join that list in full variable weather glory is bound to be one of the most enjoyable experiences you will have with Automobilista 2!
For fans of such historical cars and tracks, keep in mind there is a lot more where these came from to join Automobilista 2 in the coming months :)
[h2]Pricing Update[/h2]
Those of you who have been keeping track of our Early Access plans will be aware that the game has had a built-in discount during this EA period - 40% to begin with, 20% currently with release supposed to bring us to the eventual full price of US$ 49.99 / €44.99
With release time coinciding with the Steam Summer sale however we have elected to keep the current pricing for a few more weeks. Not only that - with Hockenheimring scheduled to be our first DLC soon after v1 release, everyone who bought the Game in Early Access or comes to buy it before the end of the Steam Summer Sale will receive the Hockenheimring DLC (which includes 1977, 1988 and 2001 historical versions) for free!
After the sale Hockenheimring will be sold independently and as part of the AMS2 2020-2021 Season Pass.
[h2]Introducing the New Generation of Stock Car Brasil[/h2]
The Stock Car Brasil series has a special meaning for Reiza, as it was the subject of our very first sim back in 2011 it has since continued to be a regular fixture in our titles, and one with which we enjoy a close relationship with.
Automobilista 2 pays tribute to this long term relationship by including several Historical seasons (the very first one from 1979, the classic 1986 and soon also the 1999 season, the last using Chevrolet Omegas, alongside the well-known last gen cars from the 2019 season.
We now take a step with the series into the future as AMS2 release will have the honor of introducing the new 2020 generation of Stock Car Brasil - now featuring two manufacturers with the Toyota Corolla joining the Chevrolet Cruze.
This new generation of Stock Cars have been redesigned to bring the cars closer to its roots - although still based on the same chassis of the JL09 that fielded the series in the last decade, these have been reprofiled to become a little more Stock, a little less prototype, featuring several elements of their production counterparts and a lot less aero components relative to the cars of 2019.
The series is scheduled to kick off with its first race this weekend, but before that drivers will be entering the virtual track to compete on the first round of the official E-Sports series this Wednesday July 1st!
We do have one last thing to hopefully make Automobilista 2 v1.0 a truly enjoyable ride for all sim racers. You will not have to wait long to find out what it is!
See you all on track tomorrow...