I’ve been visiting various parts of Greece for almost two decades now. It’s one of my favorite countries in the world, alongside Japan. I’ve always been fascinated by its ancient stories, regardless if we’re talking about mythology or actual history. And for 16+ years now, I’ve fallen in love with its cuisine as well.
One of the dishes that drives me crazy is called “Soutzoukakia”, and I’ve learned how to cook it at home. Discovering its ingredients one by one, and getting used to the right method of bringing them together wasn’t enough for me. I wanted to know who invented it, and for how long it has been part of Greece’s culinary history. Long story short, it arrived from the Turkish region of Smyrna, which used to be a Greek settlement before a refugee crisis changed the region forever (along with its name- Izmir).
You migh ask what all of this has to do with the conversation I had recently with Irvin Zonca, the Creative and Game Director for Assetto Corsa Rally. The fact that the Akropolis Rally Greece is one of the events I like driving the most in the game (alongside Monte Carlo) isn’t the only explanation. Supernova’s project has had such a profound impact on me that I didn’t just want to settle with playing the game. I needed to know more about its development and the people behind it.
It has been obvious since day one that they are passionate about the sport, otherwise we would’ve ended up with a title like – I won’t name any names here, but you can instantly tell when a developer only cares about making money and not providing an authentic gameplay experience. Still, I wanted to “double-check” by talking to some at Supernova about AC Rally, and Irvin was kind enough to provide some answers.
He’s a few years older than me, and was born in Borgomanero, Italy, which is also the birthplace of two-time Italian Rally Champion Piero Longhi. “I grew up during the years when the Lancia Delta was dominating the world of rallying, and Senna was racing in Formula 1. I started watching rallies as a teenager, going with friends and sleeping in tents so we could watch the night stages. Several times a year, I would also go to Maggiora to watch the Autocross Championship”.
We will be introducing another Group B car
Photo: Irvin Zonca/Supernova Games Studios
“So, I was surrounded by the racing world, while on the other hand, I was also playing a huge number of video games. I fell in love with driving simulations in the ’90s, with games such as Crammond’s GP2 and GP Legends, as well as all the early rally simulations on PC, while also enjoying arcade and console games. In 2005, at the age of 21, I joined Milestone and worked on around forty racing games, both motorcycle and car titles, gaining experience with MotoGP, SBK, WRC, Supercross and MXGP.”
“In 2021, I had the opportunity to join the Digital Bros group and fulfill one of my dreams: working on the Assetto Corsa brand by developing a spin-off dedicated to rallying”. I’m sure every AC Rally enthusiast is eager to know when the next updates are coming, and what cars and rallies they’ll bring with them. “Our plan is to release an update approximately every two months, or at most every two and a half months in exceptional circumstances when the amount of work involved in an update is particularly large.”
“Unfortunately, I can’t give you any more details, but I can tell you that over the coming months we will be introducing another Group B car, along with a very special variant of it, as well as more Group A cars. We are also working on two new rallies that are diametrically opposed to each other.” Let’s analyze that for a moment. Update 0.6 arrived in September, which means we might get lucky with more content in November.
I know this could just be wishful thinking, but one of the photos Irvin sent me featured the Lancia Delta S4. If that’s an accurate guess, could it mean the very special variant is the road-going version? Also, the only Group B car we’ve had in the game so far was the Lancia Rally 037 EVO 2 (1984), so there’s certainly plenty of room for interpretation. I also asked about maybe having a Suggestion Box for the future, as it could potentially provide the team with a wide selection of useful ideas.
There are many rally enthusiasts on the team
Photo: Irvin Zonca/Supernova Games Studios
I guess I might be getting old here, as I had forgotten about Assetto Corsa’s Discord channel, which is constantly monitored by the team. “The community has welcomed and supported the project from the very beginning, understanding and embracing our “quality over quantity” philosophy. We are very grateful to them, and we promise that we will continue working hard to give them the best rally simulator we are capable of developing. Especially because we are the first ones who want to play it ourselves!”
When I tested Update 0.4 back in April, I discovered how fun Colin McRae’s Subaru Impreza S3 Group A was, and also that one of the game’s sound designers was an Impreza owner himself. I know how demanding I am with analyzing how RX-7s sound in video games, and I imagine Mr. Mark ‘TDK’ Knight is even more so given that this is part of job. But what else do we know about some of the other people working on Assetto Corsa Rally?
“There are many other rally enthusiasts on the team, and we have shared some wonderful days visiting collections, recording rally cars, or watching real rallies together. In particular, with our handling designer, Giuseppe “Abbo90”, we have taken part in several driving courses, both on ice and gravel, driving cars such as Mitsubishi Lancers, Subaru Imprezas and a Group 2 Ford Escort. Other members of the team are sim racers, and some are also content creators, such as Matt, who runs the “Yorkie065” channel.”
“This is why we are able to focus on the details that enthusiasts are really looking for: we are the first ones to be genuinely passionate about rallying ourselves. As for collaborations, we work with several real-world drivers, including Jon Armstrong, a Ford M-Sport driver who is currently competing in the World Rally Championship. Jon is an exceptional guy with tremendous talent both in the real world and on simulators, and he is helping us enormously with the evolution of the game’s physics.”
We ourselves have spent a lot of time playing both games
Photo: autoevolution
“We also collaborate with people such as Tommaso Ciuffi and Ike Racing, which competes in the European Historic Rally Championship.” Just as some people might try to compare Max Versappen to Ayrton Senna, or Marc Marquez to Valentino Rossi, some rally enthusiasts out there might have something to say about their all-time favorite video game: Richard Burns Rally. I haven’t played it myself (I spent some time with DiRT Rally), but it sure is regarded as one of the greatest titles ever made.
I wanted to know how Irvin and the team feel about these comparisons, and if they ever try to learn from the successes and failures of projects that came before theirs. “I come from the sim racing world and have always played as many titles as possible, finding something to appreciate in each of them. As for ACR, we ourselves have spent a lot of time playing both games, so I think it’s a positive thing that our fans do the same. The feedback we receive helps us continue moving in the right direction.”
“RBR was considered the best rally simulator for a long time, while DiRT Rally is an example of the incredible talent that existed at Codemasters during those years. With ACR, we want to create a simulator that is realistic, fun, and complete in terms of features, so that it can remain a benchmark both today and in the future. ACR is still in Early Access, which means it is not yet in its final form.”
“In our vision, beyond adding content such as stages and cars, there is a continuous evolution of the driving model, as well as the addition of new game modes and online and offline features, including VR. ACR will be supported for years and will continue to grow and improve.” I spent dozens of hours going up Pikes Peak in DiRT Rally, and am currently disappointed Polyphony won’t add the Race to the Clouds in GT7. Even if it does happen, they’ll likely go for the tarmac setup which isn’t what I’m hoping for.
I’m under strict order not to say too much
Photo: autoevolution
Sadly, it doesn’t seem to be on table for the team at Supernova for now either. Chances are iconic cars that competed at Pikes Peak won’t be part of the roster any time soon, even though Irvin mentioned they could license something like the Escudo from Suzuki directly. Maybe we should all get together and subscribe to the idea on the Discord channel I spoke of earlier in the story. I couldn’t just conclude our discussion without trying to get Irvin to spill the beans on some topics the developer hasn’t confirmed yet.
Not just that, but I also wanted to know how much more time AC Rally will still be in its Early Access phase, and how much version 1.0 could cost when it arrives. “Hehe, I’m under strict order not to say too much, but I’m happy to give it a try anyway… We are working on a rally that takes place on a completely snow-covered surface. The release timing for Assetto Corsa Rally 1.0 will be announced at a later stage, as we get closer to launch.”
“Regarding pricing, we may adjust the price in the future to reflect the depth of the experience and the breadth of content available. Any updates on pricing will be communicated closer to release.” I’ve saved some of Irvin’s answers and details for one of my next stories, and all I can say right now is that I can’t wait to have a sim rig in my room so I can log more hours in Assetto Corsa Rally and Evo!
