Codemasters has officially announced the next iteration of its annual Formula One motorsport franchise, revealing F1 2021 will be hitting store shelves on July 16. The new game will be its first since the studio was acquired by EA earlier this year, and will bring a new story mode and other fresh features to the revered racing series.
In a new trailer, Codemasters revealed that this year's headlining feature will be a mode known as "Braking Point," which offers a cinematic story that documents the player's rise through both the Formula 2 and 1 ranks. It will allegedly feature segments both on and off the track, and will see F1 2019's Devon Butler return in some capacity. A press release on EA's website claims more will be shared about the exciting mode in the weeks to come.
F1 2021 will also add a highly-requested new feature, with players now able to experience the game's career mode with a friend online. Codemasters teases that both players can enjoy the mode cooperatively or competitively, and they'll be able to control their assists individually, meaning advanced players won't have any trouble bringing in those new to the franchise. The Real-Season Start feature will also return, allowing players to jump into a career mode that reflects the current Formula One season's drivers and rankings. They'll then be able to pick a driver and continue the season themselves.
Codemasters reassures players that none of the features in F1 2020 are going anywhere, even claiming that the sequel will include updates to scalable assist options, driver stats, and multiplayer. This will also be the first F1 game coming to next-generation systems and the team seemingly wants to put on a show. It will allegedly sport significant visual upgrades and boosted loading times, making for a more technically impressive motorsport simulation. As has been the case with most of EA's games, players who grab a copy on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One when it debuts will also be able to snag free upgrades to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.
Players can pre-order either a Standard or Deluxe version of the game starting today. Grabbing a copy of the Standard Edition nets players the base game, the Braking Point Content Pack, and 5,000 PitCoins to spend. The Deluxe Edition, on the other hand, comes loaded with the My Teams Icon Pack, seven "iconic drivers," several exclusive customization items, and 18,000 PitCoins. Regardless of what version players buy, they'll also be given three additional circuits for no additional cost post-launch, with Codemasters announcing Portimao, Imola, and Jeddah will all be coming to the game as DLC.
F1 2021 will be available on July 16 for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
Source: EA