GT Revival is set to be powered by Unreal Engine 5, which will deliver impressive visuals and, hopefully, a realistic driving experience. GT Revival will use an entirely new physics engine, however, with the Seta tire model from the Madness Engine being redeveloped as Seta2 for GT Revival. It should be easier for Straight4 to deliver elite physics and force feedback with Unreal Engine 5 then it was for Kunos who used Unreal Engine 4. Kunos eventually succeeded delivering an accurate and elite driving experience, although it took a lot of work refining and updating Assetto Corsa Competizione over the last few years. We expect that GT Revival will deliver a driving experience which falls between Assetto Corsa Competizione and Project Cars 2, with much of the content and features that made the GTR series of games so unique.

Straight4 is targeting a Q4 2024 release window for GT Revival on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. Ian Bell, Straight4 Studios’ CEO, has shared early in-engine renderings and videos, showcasing dynamic weather and time of day functions, as well as detailed interior shots of an Audi Sport R8 GT3 racecar.

A Team of Veterans

Bell has assembled a team of industry veterans for the project, including key members from the original GTR and GTR2 development teams. The current Straight4 headcount stands at 48, including Ben “The Stig” Collins, who worked on the first two Project CARS games, serving as the “chief handling consultant”.

Modding and Esports

One of the standout features of GT Revival is its extensive modding support. Bell promises that the game will be “the most moddable auto platform ever”, with every aspect of the game, including environments, cars, audio, and even physics, being moddable. Creators will also be able to sell mods in an online marketplace.

AI-Generated Commentary

GT Revival is set to feature an in-game “AI Synthesized Commentary Team”. This system will spontaneously generate unique, contextually accurate, non-repetitious simulated sports commentary, reacting to the on-track action and filling lulls with chatter. This feature could potentially revolutionize the racing videogame genre, adding a new layer of immersion to the sim racing experience.

A Spiritual Successor

GT Revival is being positioned as a spiritual successor to GTR2, a game that is fondly remembered by the sim racing community. The original GTR focused exclusively on FIA GT racing, but GT Revival’s car roster will be inspired by many of the past cars from the GTR and Project CARS series, with Ian Bell stating “plenty of GT racing classics from our earliest seminal games are coming your way.”

Planned Content

So far, Straight4 has revealed that the following content will be included in GT Revival:

• 1977 Ford Escort RS1800 MkII
• 2023 Audi Sport R8 GT3
• 2023 Autódromo José Carlos Pace (“Interlagos”)

Conclusion

Ian Bell has stated that “GTR Revival isn’t about content and car lists and track counts and micro purchases at the back-end—it’s about bringing back the spirit of GTR. Our content will be all killer and no filler as we bring back the ethos of this genre—balls out, hardcore glory.” We hope that this game is a modern successor to GTR2, and that the Straight4 team avoids the pitfalls of Projects Cars 3.