Spintires: Mudrunner, the ultra-niche off-road driving sim, is getting a sequel

It's been quite a journey for the extraordinarily niche ("so niche it makes Munich Bus Simulator look mainstream") off-road driving simulator Spintires: From surprise success through a beef with the publisher, allegations of sabotage, resumption of development, and ultimately a remastered edition, with updated graphics and new vehicles and maps, that arrived last year. And soon—likely next year—we'll get a full-on sequel.

The follow-up will continue the evolution of the title, ditching "Spintires" completely in favor of just Mudrunner 2. But it doesn't sound like a dramatic departure from the core concept: The new game "once again dares players to take charge of incredible all-terrain vehicles across extreme landscapes," publisher Focus Home Interactive said.

It didn't state specifically whether the game will return to Russia for the extreme off-road shenanigans, but said that it will bring back Spintires' "renowned physics engine, realistic driving mechanics, intense environments and sandbox gameplay, along with a host of new features and enhancements."

Mudrunner 2 will be more fully revealed early next year at the What's Next de Focus event.

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.