The anticipation is reaching a fever pitch as EA Sports F1 25 gears up for its grand release on May 30. With the latest installment, racers—whether rookies or seasoned pros—can expect a slew of enhancements, tweaks, and fresh features that promise to make everyone feel right at home. I recently caught up with the developers at EA Codemasters to delve into the exciting new gameplay offerings.
“We’re definitely not short on feedback,” reveals Gavin Cooper, Creative Director at EA Codemasters. “Our community’s insights have really shaped many of this year’s features.”
The team isn’t just tuning into official forums or usual channels; they’ve also been engaging with Esports drivers and content creators who got a sneak peek at F1 25 during its development phase.
The end product is a game that has not only refined its car handling but also introduced a slicker TV-like presentation and enhanced real driver voice overs. Gavin shares, “The inclusion of real drivers’ voices adds a layer of authenticity you can feel. We’ve nearly doubled the voice lines compared to F1 24, offering more contextual dialogues.” This innovation ensures not just interactions with big names, but also realistic exchanges between real drivers and the in-game race engineers, bringing both camaraderie and tension to life.
There’s good news for fans who weren’t thrilled with the repetitive engine noises in the My Team mode. Gavin assures, “Now, you can attach the correct audio to different engine suppliers, so your car sounds unique based on your selection. It’s something players have wanted for quite some time.”
### Your very own dream team
Let’s talk about My Team mode, which is set for an exhilarating update that will get fans’ hearts racing. Instead of being the owner-driver, you’ll now find yourself as the team owner, managing a duo of drivers. “We understand that being an owner-driver isn’t true to the sport,” Gavin admits. “But managing two drivers now brings a host of strategic decisions. Previously, if we asked you to prioritize a driver, the choice was obvious—you’d choose yourself. Now, you need to weigh who’s crucial in contracts and upgrades.”
While you’ll decide who takes the wheel on race weekends, balancing two distinct personalities and egos adds complexity. This is in addition to managing detailed Engineering, Personnel, and Corporate facilities, influencing how your team and competitors view you. Even when you factor in expanded R&D, sponsor systems, perks, upgrades, and the inclusion of Driver Icons, offering AI teams historic driver recruits, you’re only scratching the surface of options now available at your fingertips.
### Braking Point drives the narrative experience forward
Fans of Braking Point, F1’s expansive story mode series, aren’t being left behind. “We continually seek ways to amplify the player’s impact on the narrative,” Gavin notes. Now, during pivotal moments, you can choose between two Konnersport drivers in a scenario, causing ripple effects that influence race objectives and even the story’s conclusion. Implementing this with various branching paths was an intricate task for the developers.
“We’re tracking the primary narrative upheld by various other threads, subplots, and minor storylines delivered through secondary narrative elements like calls, social media, and news posts,” Gavin explains. “These threads may resonate more with one driver but often intersect with the main plot. It’s about providing specific experiences while maintaining a cohesive story that all players can enjoy. It’s challenging, yet incredibly rewarding.”
And when you wrap up Braking Point? A special bonus awaits, allowing you to bring your Konnersport team into Career Mode for the first time. This is just one way F1 25 offers flexibility in your racing journey.
Gavin lays out the possibilities: “You can race as an official or custom driver. There’s also a sort of 11th team with Konnersport or Apex. Do you stick with a custom driver on an official team, or prefer playing as an official driver? And that’s even before diving into the Icons in My Team.”
### Immersive details at every turn
The development team hasn’t overlooked the little extras that make racing fun. A more detailed decal editor is in place, alongside options to change driver number fonts and colors. Thanks to LIDAR scanning, authentic details are captured for five tracks, including Bahrain, Miami, Melbourne, Suzuka, and Imola, down to safety barriers and even vegetation.
Plus, there’s the thrill of racing Silverstone, Zandvoort, and Austria in reverse on Grand Prix, Time Trial, Multiplayer, and from the second season in Career modes. “It’s a feature that catches players off guard,” Gavin chuckles. “You think you know these circuits, but driving them in reverse feels like a fresh challenge, offering a completely different experience.”
With F1 25 consistently leading the charge, the creation of these games is as complex as planning a real-life racing season. The development team splits into those dedicated to ‘even’ year versions of the series and those on ‘odd’ years. “We’ve established a central team focused on the evergreen aspects like handling, AI, and others, working annually,” Gavin elaborates. “This split team model is invaluable, enabling us to bring major features to life each year. Despite the overlap and simultaneous builds, it boils down to solid processes, clear communication, and the right experts in place.”
Much like top-tier F1 teams, it’s a collaboration that peaks when it counts. You’ll be able to experience it firsthand when EA Sports F1 25 roars onto PS5 on May 30.
