Codies Racing Line – October 1, 2020

October. After what feels like forever, it’s here. Somehow.

As the nights draw in, the dressing gowns come out the wardrobe and the hot chocolates become more tempting, team Codies is still cooking with gas, working on upcoming games, live titles and everything in between. That’s why the Racing Line is here – to keep you updated on the latest news for those games, as an incredibly exciting year for gaming continues.

So, pull on that dressing down, sip on that cocoa and enjoy another stacked Racing Line. How does new gameplay, multiplayer news and more for our upcoming racer sound to warm your cockles?

 

DIRT 5

Ready to party? In a socially distanced manner, of course…

Online multiplayer news for DIRT 5 kicked off recently, with the confirmation of our first party mode: Vampire! We gave you a glimpse of Vampire at the end of DIRT 5’s Playgrounds trailer – a mode similar to classic Outbreak and Infection events from past DIRT titles. Can you hold your nerve avoid being turned into a Vampire car by evading enemies in our unique racing arenas? Plenty more news on multiplayer for DIRT 5 – both traditional racing and more party modes – is being lined up, so watch this space.

A quick reminder, while we’re here, to head to our official YouTube channel to watch new gameplay videos, including our recently-revealed looks at stadium racing and an incredible sandstorm transforming a race in Morocco. The gameplay was first revealed at EGX, DIRT 5 was out in force at this year’s all-digital event, not just showing off new gameplay and details, but also bringing expert opinion on talks and panels.

Technical Director David Springate sat down with Digital Foundry to break down the task of developing DIRT 5 for next-gen consoles, dropping some fascinating insight on how the game is shaping up for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S:

Alongside all that console goodness, we’ve been ensuring, of course, that DIRT 5 runs like a dream on PC, too. Just ask Troy Baker! Last week we delivered something to the world-renowned voice actor, who portrays Alex ‘AJ’ Janicek in DIRT 5: a one-of-a-kind PC setup, in partnership with our pals at AMD Gaming. Check out Troy getting just a little bit excited as he unboxed this incredible piece of kit.

We’re almost there, team – DIRT 5’s launch begins on November 6 for Xbox One, PS4 and PC, followed shortly by Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5. Don’t forget: We’re offering players a FREE upgrade option to the next-gen version of the game, which will include a 120fps option! Full details on the offer are here.

– Chris

 

F1® 2020

Hey all,

What a Grand Prix we had this weekend! Did you see us track side at Sochi? You might just be able to spot our advertising in this picture of Daniel Ricciardo…

Oh, hello there ?

It’s @danielricciardo… and us!

Keep an eye out for us this weekend ?#RussianGP pic.twitter.com/wHBYchUX8f

— Formula 1® Game (@Formula1game) September 26, 2020

What a race, though, with Valtteri Bottas taking the chequered flag in Russia! You can check out all our Russian Grand Prix F1® 2020 screenshots right here, though talking about Bottas leads us straight on to our next topic:

F1® Esports Qualifying

Want to be part of next year’s F1® Esports Series? Now’s your chance! The first qualifying event for next year’s Challenger Series – the road to the Pro Draft – is now open. You’ll be taking control of Bottas’ car at Monza. Your aim? Recreate the 2019 FORMULA 1® ITALIAN GRAND PRIX, or go and rewrite the history books – get Valtteri’s car into P2 or higher in the quickest time possible. Those at the top will go through to the Challenger Series, and there’s plenty of other ways to enjoy the challenge, including some new and exclusive F1® Esports customisation items! Play the event for yourself throughout the whole of October by heading to the ‘F1 Esports’ tab in-game.

Beginner’s Guides

New to F1® games? Or maybe you’re a returning veteran who wants a quick refresher on how things work? Our guides are just what you need. The latest guide we’ve rolled out is on manual starts, so if you want to make that perfect getaway, this is for you:

You can check out our Beginner’s Guides YouTube playlist right here to see the tips and tricks we’ve uploaded already. We’re adding to this all the time, so make sure you bookmark it to come back to.

See you next time!

– Jenny

 

DIRT RALLY 2.0

Hello everyone, PJ here with your usual rally round-up.

DiRT Rally 2.0 World Series – Round 2 Underway

Round 2 of the DiRT Rally 2.0 World Series has just begun, giving you another three weeks to qualify for the next stage, but before that we had the playoffs from Round 1. The fastest players from the Round 1 Qualifiers faced off in some of the fastest rally and rallycross action you’ve seen all year, with World RX commentator Andrew Coley and our own Jon Armstrong calling the show. You can check out the highlights, full broadcasts and demonstration runs of the entire series on our YouTube channel.

Version 1.16 Update

Earlier this week we released the (currently) final update for DiRT Rally 2.0.

This brought us the long-awaited Ford Fiesta R5 MKII as well as a few minor fixes that we could squeeze in. As a surprise, we also added new audio for the Volkswagen Polo GTI R5, so now it pops, bangs, chirps and whistles as intensely as the real thing. Don’t believe me? Have a listen.

Much like the Ford Escort RS Cosworth from a while back, this was fresh audio recorded for DIRT 5 that the audio team was able to include into the DiRT Rally 2.0 version of the car, so you can look forward to hearing it a lot more in the future.

One Special Day 2020 – October 2nd

If you’re reading this I presume you’re already enjoying DiRT Rally 2.0 but even if you’ve not tried it out yet, or you have a friend you’d like to recommend it to, we’ve got something you might be interested in.

SpecialEffect is a UK-based charity that provides help and support for disabled gamers, as gaming is for everyone. Every year on October 2nd the games industry gets together to support this great cause with One Special Day, and you can get involved! We’ve teamed up with SpecialEffect and Humble to support this cause by offering DiRT Rally 2.0 on sale at a great low price. You can check out the details here as well as the other great games available in the bundle.

That’s it for now; I’ll catch you all soon.

– PJ

 

PROJECT CARS 3

Hello once again, fellow racers! If you’re wondering why I use that line each time this blog goes live, it’s because I used to be a competitive racer myself, participating in multiple league events across several games back in the day. I hung up my racing gloves almost ten years ago, but I still love racing games and get excited whenever a new title gets announced, which is why it brings me great joy to tell you a bit more about Slightly Mad Studios’ upcoming venture into the mobile space with Project CARS GO! But first, let’s talk about Project CARS 3:

Project CARS 3 Update #1

The first update for Project CARS 3 has landed and addresses many of those pesky issues reported by the community, which the team have been working hard to address. You can see what’s changed in the update notes here.

Project CARS GO

It’s been a while since news first broke that the Project CARS franchise was all set to make its long-awaited debut on mobile. Slightly Mad Studios has teamed up with mobile specialists Gamevil to bring you the Project CARS experience on the go (see what I did there?).

Project CARS GO brings a curated selection of historic and modern-day motorsport machines, all licensed along with licensed tracks, to bring mobile players an on-the-go racing experience. It all hinges around a dynamic and seriously addictive one-touch play mechanism, and it’s just an absolute blast to play!

If you’d like to try the game for yourself, a closed beta programme will be taking place from the 14th until the 27th of October for residents of the UK, USA, Canada, and Australia. You can sign up right now!

That’s all I’ve got for you this week. As always, if you want to keep up to date on all things Project CARS 3, join the Discord community, and don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and check our website for regular updates.

– Fernando

 

F1® MOBILE RACING

We’ve enjoyed seeing all of you compete for glory in the new F1® Mobile Racing Esports Leagues – our most competitive and high-stakes PvP mode to date! Only the very best drivers will be rising through the ranks and giving themselves a shot at esports success. Yet to get in on the action? Download F1® Mobile Racing now to play, completely free, on iOS and Android to take on the world.

As always with any new update for F1® Mobile Racing, we’ve immediately been tracking and responding to player feedback, getting your thoughts on the new additions and tweaks we’ve implemented, to see how we can make further improvements down the line. If you’re experiencing anything you’d like to report to us, there’s an in-game support service you can use through the Options menu.

Alongside the esports action and all our usual ways to play, check out the latest GP Event – the 0 PI Event, where car performance for all competitors is completely balanced. Success in this event is all about pure skill and consistency. Good luck!

– Chris

 

ANY OTHER BUSINESS?

– 34 years. Over 150 games. Goodness knows how many consoles and platforms! Since Electric Games Company Limited changed its name to The Codemasters Software Company Limited, it’s been quite the journey. Whether you’ve been a Dizzy lover, an LMA Manager Fanatic, or a regular racer in our award-winning franchises, thank you for being a part of that journey. We’re just getting started!

– This month, we’re teaming up with Into Games for their latest Side Quest game jam! Through practical weekly challenges, livestreams and insight from the Codemasters team, with DIRT 5 serving as the inspiration. Learn from industry pros and try your hand at game-making in a welcoming environment. The event gets going on October 5th, so there’s still time to sign up here.

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