F1® 2018 – closer to the real thing than ever before

August 20th, 2018 by Christina McGrath

Codemasters® has today released the final part in its series of four developer diaries for F1® 2018, the official videogame of the 2018 FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP™, talking about the improvements made to audio and visual aspects of the game. The new developer diary is available to view now at www.youtube.com/formula1game.

F1® 2018 presents a significant visual jump forward for the franchise, utilising physically based rendering to improve the overall look and feel of the game and get it as close to reality as possible. Visually the car models, character renders, the atmospherics, visual effects, cinematics and animations have all been overhauled, while on the audio front the engine sounds are closer to real life than ever before.

“The biggest win visually is in the atmospherics,” said F1® 2018’s Art Director, Stuart Campbell. “This year we’ve got a full atmospherics system that gives you a greater sense of depth from the scene, and it makes for some really stunning vistas.”

Stuart continued: “One of the most iconic things for me about F1® as a sport is seeing that heat haze on the start straight: the heat rising from the track and from the engine exhausts, and in the mirage effect that you see reflecting in the track. We’ve added a full heat haze and mirage system to our visual effects for this year, and it makes a huge difference in the replay cameras and on track when you’re racing.”

With regards the audio improvements this year, Brad Porter, Senior Audio Designer on F1® 2018, commented: “We try to make the engine sounds as close to broadcast as possible, which is what a lot of fans ask for. We’ve been over to tracks such as Abu Dhabi, Barcelona and Paul Ricard over the last year, working directly with F1® teams, going into garages with them on test sessions, mic’ing up the cars onboard with our new radio gear, and then we’re standing at the side of the track for external recordings. We’re also in the garages recording ambisonics, we’re out in the paddock, and we’re out in the pit lane.” Brad added: “From an audio point of view, the game is now sounding far more believable and far more authentic.”

F1® 2018 features all the official teams, the drivers and all 21 circuits of the thrilling 2018 season, including Circuit Paul Ricard and the Hockenheimring. As well as the current season’s offerings the game includes 20 iconic cars from the history of the sport. F1® 2018 will release onto PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, the Xbox One family of devices including the Xbox One X and Windows PC (DVD and via Steam) worldwide on Friday 24th August 2018.

Follow Codemasters F1® games blog and social channels on Twitter and Facebook for future updates.

F1® Drivers Prepare For New French Grand Prix™ With F1® 2018 Game

June 21st, 2018 by Christina McGrath

Codemasters® has today released a new trailer for F1 2018, the official videogame of the 2018 FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP™, that showcases the return of the French Grand Prix to the calendar by talking to the local F1 drivers about the recreation of their home circuit in the new game. French nationals, Romain Grosjean, Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly, as well as Renault Sport Formula One Team’s Carlos Sainz, talked to Codemasters about the new Circuit Paul Ricard and their experience with the game.

Available to view now at www.youtube.com/formula1game the new trailer for F1 2018 shows the first ever gameplay footage of the Circuit Paul Ricard as the four drivers navigate their way around the track, talking about their experiences.

“Of course the French Grand Prix is the one I am most looking forward to in the year,” said Haas F1 Team driver, Grosjean. “It will be my first time racing in my home Grand Prix and a lot of French fans are coming to support us.”

Gasly added: “I am massively excited. To have a home Grand Prix is a special feeling. You can really feel the support.”

This was also the first time that the four drivers were able to get their hands on F1 2018, which will release onto PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, the Xbox One family of devices including the Xbox One X and Windows PC (DVD and via Steam) worldwide on Friday 24th August 2018.

“I have been playing games since I was a kid… and I haven’t stopped,” said Ocon. “The games have evolved massively and are getting more and more realistic. It is still my routine to go training during the day and I play for one or two hours in the evening… and I find it very useful. When we don’t have a race weekend I keep racing on my own.”

“This is my first try on F1 2018 and I am super impressed. I am a big fan of the games and have played them since I was a kid”, added Gasly. “Every year it keeps getting better.”

Sainz commented: “I spend my time at home practising in the Formula 1 game and on the simulator at Renault. You can be sure that we do this kind of practice.”

Reflecting on the feedback of the drivers, Lee Mather, Game Director, F1 2018 said: “It is fantastic for us to get time with the real drivers. These are the guys who know what it is really like to drive these incredible cars and to have them give honest feedback is always extremely valuable. The fact that they were all positive about the game and the direction in which we are taking it is great to hear.”

As well as the introduction of Circuit Paul Ricard Codemasters has already announced that players who pre-order or purchase ‘Day One’ copies of F1 2018 will have exclusive access to the iconic 2009 Brawn BGP-001 and the 2003 Williams FW25, as DLC content of the ‘F1 2018 Headline Edition.’ Alternatively, the two cars will be available to be purchased together at a later date.

F1 2018 will feature all of the official teams, drivers and circuits from the enthralling 2018 season. There will also be a host of classic cars available, an even deeper career mode and more. Follow Codemasters F1 games blog and social channels on Twitter and Facebook for future updates.

2009 Brawn announced for F1® 2018

June 18th, 2018 by Christina McGrath

Codemasters® has today released a new trailer for F1 2018, the official videogame of the 2018 FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP™, that reveals two stunning classic F1 cars that will feature in the new game*. F1 2018 will release onto PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, the Xbox One family of devices including the Xbox One X and Windows PC (DVD and via Steam) worldwide on Friday 24th August 2018.

The new trailer showcases the championship winning 2009 Brawn BGP-001, as driven by that year’s F1 World Champion Jenson Button and his team mate, Rubens Barrichello, and the 2003 Williams FW25, of Juan Pablo Montoya and Ralf Schumacher. Both of these cars will feature in the ‘Headline Edition’ of F1 2018, which is available for pre-order now, and will be available as DLC at a later date after launch. The reveal trailer is now playing at www.youtube.com/formula1game. Further classic cars will be revealed in the coming weeks.

Brawn completed an incredible double World Championship in its only season as a team, securing both the 2009 drivers’ and constructors’ titles. The car won eight races that season including six wins for Jenson Button in the first seven races of the year. Button went on to win the Drivers’ World Championship ahead of Sebastian Vettel.

“The inclusion of classic cars in last year’s game was a huge hit with our players and fans of the sport so we wanted to build on that with the inclusion of more classics in F1 2018,” commented Paul Jeal, Franchise Director for Formula 1 at Codemasters. “The Brawn is without doubt the most requested classic car by our passionate F1 community, so we are delighted to be bringing it to the game.

“To win both the drivers’ and constructors’ World Championships in your only season is a phenomenal achievement and made the Brawn instantly iconic, and not only that but it looks gorgeous too,” continued Paul. “The 2003 Williams was also a fantastic car, which got better as the season went on. Juan Pablo Montoya went on to record 8 podiums in a row, so I’m sure players will relish the opportunity to get behind the wheel of this car too.”

*Consumers who pre-order or purchase ‘Day One’ copies of F1 2018 will have exclusive access to the iconic 2009 Brawn BGP-001 and the 2003 Williams FW25, as DLC content of the ‘F1 2018 Headline Edition.’ Alternatively, the two cars will be available to be purchased together at a later date.

More news F1 2018 news will follow soon, including the reveal of the additional classic cars, which have been selected from community feedback. Follow Codemasters F1 games blog and social channels on Twitter and Facebook for future updates.

Finalists gear up for the Volkswagen R DiRT World Championships finale

May 24th, 2018 by Christina McGrath

The finale is almost upon us! The Volkswagen R DiRT World Championships final, which will take place on Saturday 26th May at Silverstone as part of the inaugural Speedmachine festival, will pit the fastest six DiRT 4 players in the world against each other live on Motorsport.tv and Twitch from 2pm BST.

The partnership with Volkswagen R will see the players drive the Volkswagen Polo R Supercar during the three rallycross events in the final as well – and as well as that, you’ll see lots of pretty Volkswagen R branding appear throughout the game and during the stream. The final takes place at Speedmachine, the British round of the FIA World Rallycross presented by Monster Energy, at Silverstone (www.speedmachine.com).

We’re super proud to have such an impressive headline sponsor on board for the series, and we can’t wait to see the Volkswagen Polo R Supercar in action – both in game and in real life.

“We are delighted to be working with Volkswagen R on the DiRT World Championships,” commented Codemasters’ Esports Manager, Andy Gray. “It is an incredible brand which brings with it a great deal of recognition and credibility.

“The quality of the competition we have seen so far in the DiRT World Championships has been immense and the final promises to be even better with the best six DiRT 4 players racing it out live at Speedmachine. We cannot wait!”

“Esports is an important and continuously growing field for the automotive industry and Volkswagen R is thrilled to be the partner of the DiRT World Championships at Speedmachine. The finalists are travelling from as far as South Africa, which is incredible and proof of the global community Esports creates. We are looking forward to the finals,” comments Jost Capito, Executive Director Volkswagen R.

We didn’t stop there, though – we also signed further sponsorship agreements with Acer Predator, Playseat and Thrustmaster – all of whom will provide equipment for the final event at Speedmachine.

Operated in conjunction with Gfinity, the DiRT World Championships have attracted over 20,000 players from around the globe – so you can be assured that the final six competitors are something special. If you want to catch up with the story so far, you can read all about it on our blog. However if you just want to skip to the good part, don’t worry – these are our six finalists:

Nicholas Steere – sixtiethYard333 – South Africa – aged 30
Robin Sieren – KickedinYOOO – German – aged 22
Alejandro Aroca García – Oscaro BillyCherokee – Spanish – aged 21
Joona Pankkonen – Oscaro Joona P – Finnish – aged 17
Anders Robin Jonsson – xVZombieSlayaaVx – Swedish – aged 18
Quentin Dall’Olmo – OscaroQ – French – 18

… So now’s the time to pick your horse and back it! The winner of the Volkswagen R DiRT World Championships will get to test drive an RX2 car, an Acer Predator Orion 9000 gaming PC, a DiRT Playseat and Thrustmaster wheel – so with so much up for grabs, we’re sure the racing is going to be the best and most fieriest yet. Bring it on!