The recent rFactor 2 Q&A has stirred up a lot of discussion in the rFactor community, especially the announced online account system has lead to some false conclusions.
To add some facts to the discussion, Image Space Incorporated has now announced the official pricing of rFactor 2.
The title will sell for $43.99, allowing unlimited access to single player & mod development mode. The price also includes 12 months of online account membership, an additional year of account membership can be purchased for $12.99.
So, what does the online account membership offer? The online account gives players access to multiplayer races, find and download updates automatically and offer a Mod ID system that will help prevent mismatches. Furthermore, ISI is working on providing additional features such as online statistics.
Player’s whose online account membership runs out can’t use the multiplayer features anymore, the single player & mod modes remain fully functional though. Players without an account can also manually download & install mods & updates.
Furthermore, ISI has released first info on the often-hinted open-beta period. The open beta will allow interested sim racers & modders to get early access to a content-limited version of rFactor 2. To participate, a full purchase of rFactor 2 is necessary, in return open-beta users will be given 18 months of online account access instead of the 12.
The release dates of both the open-beta & retail versions are still unknown, ISI has already hinted that the open-beta and even the retail release might kick off in 2011.
