Hello everybody
I'm Marco Massarutto, Producer and Licensing Manager of Assetto Corsa. First of all, let me thank you for your kind support, that is the fuel that allows us to continue to do the job we love. Assetto Corsa has been welcomed in a way that exceeded our best expectations, and we'll thank you for this in the best way we can. If you will have a bit of patience.
Here I've read everything and its opposite. When I start to feel disappointed or sad for some comments, I force me to remember how I was at the times of Grand Prix 3, F1 Racing Simulation and so on when, being a gamer, I wasn't directly involved in this business. Therefore I can't get angry with you, because I understand that sometime it's easy to jump to conclusions when you can't know the facts but you can just imagine how they could be.
Therefore, for the first time, let me bring you behind the scenes. Would you like to follow me for few minutes? Let's go.
I'll go straight to the point, so please don't get me wrong, I will try just to explain our point of view in the simplest way.
- Lot of complains about additional contents are not so reasonable, for a simple reason: Assetto Corsa is moddable, and people who don't like to purchase additional contents, can make their favorite tracks and cars or wait that someone else produce a mod that they like to download. For free. Simple, clear, FAIR.
- Assetto Corsa 1.0 will include all the elements needed for a good and complete racing/gaming experience. We'll not force anyone to buy an additional feature or content that is needed to use the game. Nordschleife is not "needed", nor it has never been mentioned or scheduled as part of Assetto Corsa 1.0. I don't understand why to complain about DLC preorder before the availability of the full game, because this is just an unfair lie, not the truth: if I'm wrong please show me the pre-order button for Nordschleife.
- We must collect new licenses before the end of the year, in order to allocate the budget to pay the licensing rights and produce the contents, BEFORE THE TAXES. MORE TAXES, LESS CONTENTS. Simple, clair (not fair, but not depending by us). In addition, each car needs 8-10 weeks to be produced, an average track requires 3-5 months to be produced. That's why we program our production and communication activities (I'll be back on this matter later) with so much advance.
- "Kunos might use the resources needed for Nordschleife for other 2-3 tracks".
Now, just a short digression: I read something like "I'm bored to race on the same tracks in all games, I would prefer to race to some good, unknown and new tracks".
Let me ask you: if you were a developer, and you need to PAY a lot of money IN ADVANCE to create tracks for your game, would you choose those tracks that people knows and - you are sure enough- they will like, or would you bet to invest for contents that are unknown for 80% of your potential audience? Because the matter isn't "In a perfect world I would like to", but "ok, I will risk a LOT of money here: what I will do?"
Yes, because the truth that a lot of people don't know, is that when we talk about licensing rights, royalties and fee to pay, all this money is required to be paid in ADVANCE, BEFORE the game is released, and it doesn't matter if the game sells or not. Money paid, is gone. Even if a licensing agreement is based on a royalty on sales, you must pay an advance minimum guarantee that usually already covers large part of the total royalties forecasted. Now, let's multiply this operation for 36 cars (mmh wait, 36? I knew cars of 1.0 were 35... ) and you get the same money that you might use to buy a mansion in the Pacific Coast: and I'm talking just about rights: after you paid for the rights, you still have to cover the production costs.
Said that:
1. We asked to people about the track they would like to have in AC, Nordschleife has been the most voted track: easy, clear, fair. If you voted for something else, I'm sorry but as developer I must keep my company on the market and I must hear the masses: considering that we make simulations and not arcade games, we have already showed to love the simracing community and we don't have to demonstrate it again each time we do something new. So: 90% voted for Nordschleife and 1% for your favorite one? Sorry pal, see you next time.
"Kunos might use the resources needed for Nordschleife for other 2-3 tracks"
2. People who say the statement above does know the REAL costs involved? Or it's just an estimation based on Kms? Let me tell you that some track companies asked for their license 3 times the amount needed for Nordschleife. If I tell you which tracks I'm talking about, you will never believe me, or you will and you start to laugh for hours.
3. WIth other tracks, the cost asked to rent the circuit for the survey is bigger than how we'll spend for Nordschleife. I can continue for hours, if you like.
Said that, Why a so big announcement about the Nordschleife? Well, where to start..some thousands of people who were at Nordschleife last saturday to save the Ring might answer you. Our answer is: for thousands of race enthusiasts all around the world, this is THE track: maybe YOU who are reading don't like the Nordschleife and no one can criticize you for that. Does everyone like Ferrari? Lamborghini? Monza? No.
But our huge announcement about Nordschleife is for all THOSE thousands of people in the world WHO love it, for all those people who, since when we announced Assetto Corsa in 2011 showing that the tracks included were based on LS technology, started to ask to us about the inclusion of Nordschleife every day.
For all of them, the Nordschleife laserscan based IN Assetto Corsa, is THE news. And that's enough for us.
It's like when we announced the Ferrari license and some commented "Ferrari license? Meh, who cares, I like "X"". Well, let me reveal you a secret: the announce isn't for YOU: is for all those people who like Ferraris.
About our marketing strategy and communication:
We don't have a publisher: we are our publisher. Usually, for each Eur spent for the game production, a publisher invests 5 Eur in advertsing. During that development of AC we could not do it. Why? Because if we had spent 5 times in advertising rather than in contents, there would be no contents.
And, as surely you understand, you can make the best product in the world (in general, I'm not talking about AC), but if nobody knows it, you will sell some items to your parents, you uncles, friends, then you close, buy a newspaper and look for job announcements.
How an indipendent company with low resources can make a game like AC and let people to know it without advertising? In 2 words: quality (as best as we can) and communication. At international Auto Expos, Car brands present and show models that will be available 1 or 2 years later. We are not more or less smart the BMW, Mercedes-Benz or any other.
Communication is our strategy, to keep our resources to develop contents instead of banners: you can't find Assetto Corsa advertsing on the internet but a lot of people talk about it. On Facebook, Youtube, and so on. You find videos that compare a game made by 10 people with Gran Turismo 6 and Forza 5, made by companies with budget and resources hundreds of times bigger than KUNOS. Yes, it looks to me that our strategy works fine.
Now, tell me: do you prefer that in 2014, after 1.0 release, KUNOS invests in new contents or in advertsing? Advertsing might be much better for us, let me tell you why:
1. we pay and other people make the job: the game is done, we advertise and enjoy our earnings
2. spending the same money, we reach much more people than with the Nordschleife and 10 additional cars
3. I don't have to spend for production of contents, releases, nor I have to invest money and time in betatesting, manpower and so on
4. Crossed arms, we enjoy our earnings and let the modders do their job.
5. I spend in advertsing today, I will see results in 10 days instead of in 10 weeks or more (contents)
Please note: it's not a threat nor a blackmail. It's a list of available and realistic options.
Now, let me tell you why we want to stay focused on contents rather than in advertsing: because AC is our life. We have done it for ourself and to share what we love with as much as people as possible, and not JUST to make money: if we just wanted to make money, you wouldn't have Ferraris in the game and we'll keep much money in our pockets. AC is AC with or without Ferraris, exactly how iRacing doesn't need Ferrari to be a value sim.
But, and now probably I will shock someone, we need money. YES: I MUST CONFESS and I apologise for that but, as well as 7 other billions of people, we need money for living.
The concept is very simple: without netKar PRO, FVA wouldn't exist. Without FVA, AC wouldn't exist. And, without the mistakes made with netKar PRO, Assetto Corsa wouldn't be so appreciated. And the best is yet to come.
So, at the end: when you don't like a news, an announcement, a feature, a drag race, a car brand, you are absolutely welcome. We are already happy for the simple fact that you might take Assetto Corsa in consideration: but, when you don't like or understand a feature or a content, don't waste too much time to complain for that, because that feature or content maybe is not for you: but for other thousands of people out there.
On our side, we can only continue to do our best: sometime we'll get right, sometime we'll get wrong. But I leave you with these clues:
2011 - "Featuring that kind of graphics, no way for AC to be a simulation"
2012 - "Featuring that kind of licenses, no way for AC to be a simulation" (2012)
2012 - "Featuring the Ferrari license, they must sell milions copies, so let's forget that AC will be a simulation"
2013 - "What I said? AC is an arcade, now it's clear".(after the release of the 458 GT2 video)
2013 - "They will not release nothing this year, typical italian style"
2013 - "They don't release official footage because their screenshots are photoshopped"
2013 - "They had released just the 458, the other Ferrari will be released as DLC, I'm pretty sure about it"
2013 - "No way that they will get the Nordschleife license and that it will be laserscanned"
Now I'm ready to collect other funny stuff on December 31.
Thank you guys, your support is very, very appreciated: we would like to organize a party when we'll go to Nordschleife next Spring and we would love to meet you there, having fun, some laps and then (but only then ) lot of beer together.
HAVE FUN!
