With the 2022 Formula 1 Season well underway, fans of the World Championship eagerly awaited news of the new title for the year. With developer Codemasters now fully embedded within the EA ecosystem, fans were enthusiastic to see what changes would come out of this new deal and what it would mean for the franchise. The announcement today ushers in a new era of Formula 1 video games.
Codemasters has revealed the name and released date for the latest installment in its Formula 1 series. EA Sports F1 22, or simply F1 22, has been upgraded to include the latest technical regulations and new signings from the 2022 Formula 1 Season. Though technically its second game with Electronic Arts, F1 22 is the first game fully developed with the company. F1 22 will release on July 1, a little earlier than in previous years.
Electronic Arts only released a short teaser featuring the car used to advertise the new Formula 1 technical regulations throughout 2021, and no new gameplay was revealed in this event. More information is due out later in the year that will feature in-depth looks at gameplay updates like enhanced race weekend options and cosmetic features.
Information provided by EA Sports says the game will have all the game modes that fans have enjoyed like My Team, Career Mode, and Split Screen, as well as a new feature in VR capabilities on PC using the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. F1 22 will also introduce Sprint Races, a new qualifying format introduced in Formula 1's 2021 season. Sprint Races were introduced to shake up qualifying and add more drama to select race weekends. Points are allotted to the Top 8 finishers in the Saturday Sprint Race and will determine the final starting order for the Sunday Grand Prix.
A new track, the Miami International Autodrome, will also be introduced in the game. Electronic Arts will introduce a new social hub in the game called F1 Life that will allow players to show off cosmetic items like track fashion, vintage supercars, and accessories. The press release mentioned that these cosmetic items can be earned through gameplay, but surely are a part of EA's expansion to monetize the game in new ways and lure players to buy in on items that will make them stand out. The "Braking Point" story mode will not be returning in F1 22 but could return in the future. Tracks like Australia, Saudi Arabia, and Spain have all been updated to match the improvements made in real life to those tracks
Pre-orders are now available through the EA website and other supported storefronts, with pre-order bonuses. The F1 22 Champions Edition will offer interested players 3 days early access, 18,000 PitPoints, limited-time Miami Grand Prix-centered cosmetics, and other F1 Life items.
EA Sports F1 22 will release on July 1 on HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
Source: EA