Project Cars 2 'announcement trailer' confirms 2017 release, supports 12k resolution

Bandai Namco has announced that, as was hinted at back in January, Project Cars 2 will be out in late 2017. That's not exactly a release date, but it's apparently enough information to justify a new trailer, which is packed with the kind of autosport action that people in that scene are apt to call sexy, despite it involving lethal (but I suppose lovingly-contoured) hunks of metal.

Project Cars 2 will come with more than 170 cars and 60 tracks, a new Online Championships mode, and racing on ice, dirt, snow, and mud. Developer Slightly Mad Studios also promised precise car physics, realistic AI, dynamic seasonal and weather effects, and support for "12K resolution graphics" by way of three 4K monitors hooked up in a "panoramic driver's view." That may be stretching the definition a bit, but proper support for three monitors will be a big step forward for hardcore racing simmers: As this InsideSimRacing forum post breaks down in the sort of detail that only a true fan could appreciate, the original Project Cars does not handle wraparound setups well at all.

"Our collective goal at Slightly Mad Studios is to create a simulation racing experience that rivals that of real-life," Project Cars 2 game director Stephen Viljoen said. "Realism and authenticity are central to our development mantra for Project CARS 2, hence we’re making sure we employ the best professional drivers, game developers, artists, and sound engineers to realize our vision for a game that takes players on the ultimate driver journey.”

This is the first real look we've had at Project Cars 2, which was revealed with a World of Mass Development crowdfunding campaign in the summer of 2015. But the original, which came out in May of that year, made quite an impression. If the sequel plays as good as it looks, it could very well be even better.

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Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.