Prague-based studio SCS Software has revealed a new direction for its highly praised simulation hit, Euro Truck Simulator 2. Scarcely thirteen years after first being released, the game is set to see a massive update that adds an entirely new style of gameplay experience: passenger coaches driven along the detailed European road network. This new introduction, ‘Project Coaches,’ represents a drastic departure from the normative cargo delivery dynamics that have defined the series for so long.
The quintessence of Project Coaches is in its core shift from hauling freight to hauling passengers. The game will have the players worried about bus routes, schedules, and passengers’ comfort, thereby presenting a new set of challenges and rewards for gaining in-game cash. The project is SCS Software’s bid to diversify the gameplay cycle and present veteran players with an exciting reason to return to the virtual roads of Europe.
Most importantly, SCS Software has announced that Project Coaches are being worked on by a committed team. This measured resource allocation guarantees that the development of this new feature shall not disrupt or delay other current projects, like the highly anticipated Benelux update for Euro Truck Simulator 2. This promises the audience that the studio is still focused on a steady stream of content while still being ambitious as far as new directions are concerned.
Apart from the obvious horizon of new gameplay, the announcement also quietly gives a nod to the grander ambitions for the franchise. The news that Euro Truck Simulator 2 will be released on next-gen consoles, in the form of the Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5, demonstrates a long-term planning strategy of expanding its fanbase. This console release, following in the footsteps of the history-making Project Coaches update, puts Euro Truck Simulator 2 on the path to a new era of expansion and investment, cementing its status as a genre icon. The open road, it appears, is soon going to have quite a few more visitors.
