DiRT 2 Launching in 2009

Codemasters says that it is working on DiRT 2, which will be launched for the Xbox 360, the PlayStation 3, Nintendo’s Wii and DS, the PlayStation Portable, and the PC.

The developers do not reveal much about the game at the moment although they were ready to share that the first car a player was going to use in DiRT2 would be the Group N Subaru, which is one of the most praised vehicles in the first DiRT. There will also be environment based on real world rally tracks and the cars will all be licensed from producers.

One of the most important improvements over the original would be the addition of online racing functionality which could be combined with social features on which Codemasters has not elaborated.

The company stated that it would continue to use the name Colin McRae in the title of the game in order to honor the driver who died in a helicopter crash about a year before. Gavin Raeburn, who is a senior executive producer at Codemasters, revealed that “Colin McRae was all about the speed, the excitement, and the entertainment of rally driving. He could do things with a car that no one else would and that's where we're taking the series. It will be a great tribute to an incredible champion”. The decision was made after Codemasters talked with the family of the pilot.

This year has seen the release of a lot of off road racers. We've seen MotorStorm: Pacific Rift, Score International Baja 1000 and Baja: Edge of Control launch; Pure is roughly targeting the same audience. DiRT has been one of the most successful off road titles, receiving good reviews and selling well. Depending on the period it will be released, DiRT 2 could be an even bigger hit.