No virtual money in Assetto Corsa EVO: economy scrapped for the sake of mods
Licensed cars in Assetto Corsa EVO won't have to be bought with in-game currency — Kunos Simulazioni has completely dropped the in-game economy. The reason is that it never managed to make it work with free mods: to find a balance, the team needed at least a year.
The Kunos Simulazioni panel at SimRacing Expo 2026 in Frankfurt was candid. Executive director and co-founder of the studio Marco Massarutto touched on two painful issues — why in-game currency disappeared from Assetto Corsa EVO and why computer opponents still drive unpredictably.
Economy: The Plan They Abandoned
Initially, the licensed car roster was going to be sold for virtual money. The same funds would go toward tuning, repairs and maintenance. However, this scheme sat poorly with free mods: they simply could not find an option under which both systems would work without conflicts. According to Massarutto, the search took at least a year, after which they decided to get rid of the currency entirely.
A Small Team and Rare Patches
The studio's size should not be confused with that of corporations: the project has a staff of 40–45 people. To avoid spreading their efforts thin, Kunos moved to a model of infrequent but large updates. Every significant patch is put through its paces by a dedicated team of testers led by a supervisor.
The AI Will Have to Be Rewritten
The behavior of bots on track is more complicated. Usually, racing games simplify grip calculations for virtual drivers, but in Assetto Corsa EVO they use the same full physics as a human player — with honest tire and suspension behavior and mass transfer. Because of this, the algorithms behave chaotically: virtual opponents make mistakes in dense traffic and suddenly slow down. The leadership openly says it is unhappy with such AI in circuit races.
Instead of spot fixes, the studio has taken on a complete overhaul of the system. The new module will arrive no earlier than one of the major patches. At the same time, Kunos emphasizes that early access status should not serve as an excuse for rough core mechanics.
What's Ahead
Over time, they want to add a driver profile, detailed race statistics, a safety rating for online and a clearly structured single-player career to Assetto Corsa EVO. The free driving mode (Free Roam) is scheduled for December 9, 2026.
Are you more interested in how the AI will be fixed in the simulator, or in what will happen to progression without an economy? Share your thoughts in the comments and follow the news at nfs.com.ru!
👉 Source: VGTimes