After the milestone release of Automobilista 2 v1.6 kept Reiza Studios busy for most of 2024, 2025 is set to be "more frenetic" in terms of updates and content.
For Reiza Studios and Automobilista 2, 2024 was a big year. For most of it, the Brazilian studio kept very busy with the work on the milestone v1.6 update, which finally released in late November and elevated the sim's regular player numbers. However, this also meant that the rest of the year was rather scarce for other updates. But that is not supposed to become a habit that continues into 2025.
Quite the contrary, actually. "We have a lot of licenses that we scored last year, so you may expect 2025 to be more frenetic in terms of pace for updates", Reiza Founder and Lead Developer Renato Simioni told OverTake. "It's not going to be like last year. We had one big update and a couple of smaller ones, but we are going back to how it was in previous years."
This is a direct result of the launch of v1.6, as Simioni continued. "The game is in a different state. Now, it is at a solid enough point that we can focus on the details a little more." That means less fundamental changes like in v1.6 in favor of more polish and bug fixes in addition to the content, "because the content is a big part of what the concept of the game is", stated Simioni.
However, more frequent content additions will also mean more fleshed out grids. "The game is going to grow substantially this year", continued Simioni. "We want to full out the collection to make it as complete as possible. Many of the existing classes are going to receive new cars, and we will have some new classes in areas that we haven't explored before."
Reiza forum users have recently had a look through Automobilista 2's game files and discovered a few interesting folders, apparently referencing an early 2000s version of Le Mans and period-correct cars such as the Audi R8 (the prototype, not the GT, of course), or US-based stock car racing. Both would fit with existing plans Reiza communicated in the past, namely a fourth Racin' USA DLC pack and historic Le Mans content.
"I think there are some hints, but I wouldn't take them as gospel", said Simioni. "There are things from Project CARS 2 that have to be there because of the way the code is structured. There are also some things that we are experimenting with and that might or might not come to the game."
The planned career mode that is already present in the main menu, although greyed out, would benefit from this as well - and that is the plan. Reiza wants to tie everything in AMS2 together via that mode, but first, the pieces need to be in place.
"It was always said that there will be a career mode in Automobilista 2, which is a way to connect all this assorted content that we have", explained Simioni. "That's why we need other content in there, and that is why it's going to be one of the last things we do." Patience is needed, then, as Simioni points out: "I don't expect it will see the light of day in 2025."
Career mode is a popular element in the F1 game series each year, but among more simulation-oriented titles, it has not really been a focal point in most cases when looking at releases of recent years. Project CARS 2 stands out in this regard with its different paths and tiers, and while the mode had a decent base, it did not really take off in the end.
Image: Reiza Studios
Instead, Reiza wants to create a proper experience, "really interesting, really dynamic, really uncertain, as a real career would be", continued Simioni. This should include "many pathways, so every time you play it is not necessarily going to be the same as the last time."
The concept for career mode is still being worked on, but has its roots in 2019 when Simioni initially penned his ideas for it. "But we are always adding to it. It's going to be very much driver-centric for the most part, and the interesting part is that you can start as a Brazilian driver in the 60s, or you can be a British driver in the 80s, or a modern driver in the United States and take your timeline from that point", explained Simioni. "There are so many possibilities in terms of where to start, where to go and how it all develops."
Simioni realizes that there is still a lot of work to do to get to that point, in part because older content will not be left behind: "Everything follows the same criteria, the same cohesive approach. We are constantly revising old content to bring it up to the standards. As we improve the standards, we never leave older content behind."
And then, the wait for the more frequent updates begins.
What are your wishes for Automobilista 2's career mode? Let us know in the comments below and join the discussion in our AMS2 forum!
For Reiza Studios and Automobilista 2, 2024 was a big year. For most of it, the Brazilian studio kept very busy with the work on the milestone v1.6 update, which finally released in late November and elevated the sim's regular player numbers. However, this also meant that the rest of the year was rather scarce for other updates. But that is not supposed to become a habit that continues into 2025.
Quite the contrary, actually. "We have a lot of licenses that we scored last year, so you may expect 2025 to be more frenetic in terms of pace for updates", Reiza Founder and Lead Developer Renato Simioni told OverTake. "It's not going to be like last year. We had one big update and a couple of smaller ones, but we are going back to how it was in previous years."
This is a direct result of the launch of v1.6, as Simioni continued. "The game is in a different state. Now, it is at a solid enough point that we can focus on the details a little more." That means less fundamental changes like in v1.6 in favor of more polish and bug fixes in addition to the content, "because the content is a big part of what the concept of the game is", stated Simioni.
New Content To Be Added Frequently
While Reiza is working on additional features and fixes, Simioni also revealed that the studio is expanding to develop AMS2 further and add more content at an increased frequency. "On the content side, pretty much every month you are going to have an influx of cars and tracks", Reiza's Lead Dev revealed. Keep in mind that Reiza has been careful with giving deadlines in the recent past, so the "pretty much" part is most likely key - so expecting new content every single month without fail might not be the best approach.However, more frequent content additions will also mean more fleshed out grids. "The game is going to grow substantially this year", continued Simioni. "We want to full out the collection to make it as complete as possible. Many of the existing classes are going to receive new cars, and we will have some new classes in areas that we haven't explored before."
Reiza forum users have recently had a look through Automobilista 2's game files and discovered a few interesting folders, apparently referencing an early 2000s version of Le Mans and period-correct cars such as the Audi R8 (the prototype, not the GT, of course), or US-based stock car racing. Both would fit with existing plans Reiza communicated in the past, namely a fourth Racin' USA DLC pack and historic Le Mans content.
"I think there are some hints, but I wouldn't take them as gospel", said Simioni. "There are things from Project CARS 2 that have to be there because of the way the code is structured. There are also some things that we are experimenting with and that might or might not come to the game."
Closing Content Gaps - Career Mode Not In 2025
Coupled with the new licenses Simioni mentioned and Reiza's goal to create a cohesive lineup of cars and tracks that cover plenty of ground throughout the years, 2025 might indeed turn out to be another great year for fans of the Brazilian sim. While some classes still have some considerable gaps, others like the F-HiTech Generation 2 - F1 1993 - already have a close-to-complete calendar represented if you are not looking period-correct circuits for each location. Reiza adding the fitting ones also does not seem unlikely, however.The planned career mode that is already present in the main menu, although greyed out, would benefit from this as well - and that is the plan. Reiza wants to tie everything in AMS2 together via that mode, but first, the pieces need to be in place.
"It was always said that there will be a career mode in Automobilista 2, which is a way to connect all this assorted content that we have", explained Simioni. "That's why we need other content in there, and that is why it's going to be one of the last things we do." Patience is needed, then, as Simioni points out: "I don't expect it will see the light of day in 2025."
Career mode is a popular element in the F1 game series each year, but among more simulation-oriented titles, it has not really been a focal point in most cases when looking at releases of recent years. Project CARS 2 stands out in this regard with its different paths and tiers, and while the mode had a decent base, it did not really take off in the end.
Image: Reiza Studios
Automobilista 2 Career Mode: Different Starting Points In Time
In AMS2, this could be different, especially considering the amount of historical content in the sim. Simioni: "We need to deliver all the content, and it needs to be working well, because career mode is going to be experienced in singleplayer. So the AI needs to be on a certain level for it to work best, because a career mode that's just a progression with races that are not really engaging and with incosistent levels of challenge - what is it worth, really?"Instead, Reiza wants to create a proper experience, "really interesting, really dynamic, really uncertain, as a real career would be", continued Simioni. This should include "many pathways, so every time you play it is not necessarily going to be the same as the last time."
The concept for career mode is still being worked on, but has its roots in 2019 when Simioni initially penned his ideas for it. "But we are always adding to it. It's going to be very much driver-centric for the most part, and the interesting part is that you can start as a Brazilian driver in the 60s, or you can be a British driver in the 80s, or a modern driver in the United States and take your timeline from that point", explained Simioni. "There are so many possibilities in terms of where to start, where to go and how it all develops."
Simioni realizes that there is still a lot of work to do to get to that point, in part because older content will not be left behind: "Everything follows the same criteria, the same cohesive approach. We are constantly revising old content to bring it up to the standards. As we improve the standards, we never leave older content behind."
AMS2 Hotfix To Wrap Up v1.6 Development Cycle
This also goes for the AI issues that have become apparent around the real-life Daytona 24 event in late January, as AI cars would pit too frequently during longer races or simply mess up and cause enormous pileups in certain corners. To improve this and to wrap up the v1.6 development cycle, a hotfix is expected to be released shortly.And then, the wait for the more frequent updates begins.
What are your wishes for Automobilista 2's career mode? Let us know in the comments below and join the discussion in our AMS2 forum!
