Colin McRae: DiRT 2 is official, arrives 2009

In a recent interview with IGN UK, Codemasters' Gavin Raeburn spilled some of the first detaiils on Colin McRae: DiRT 2. First, Raeburn spoke to the decision to keep McRae's name in the title -- McRae died tragically in 2007. According to Raeburn, the decision was made by Codemasters in conjunction with the McRae family. He added that Colin McRae's "ventures into events such as the X-Games, Dakar Rally and the Race of Champions have inspired [Codemasters] to look at events covering the extremes of off-road motorsport. Raeburn says DiRT 2 will move in that direction and that "Colin will play a part in that." Raeburn concluded that "DiRT 2 will be a great tribute."

The game will be running on an improved version of the EGO engine, which powered the previous DiRT as well as the more recent GRiD. Among some of the improvements are "more physical modelling of the environment, improving lighting and shadowing" as well as greater use of a streaming system "to allow much higher texture detail." Raeburn adds that Codemasters is "pushing the boundaries of what is possible with the hardware as much as possible, and we're confident in our ability to lift the quality bar again." Given that DiRT is still considered one of the best looking games available, these are some hefty statements to make.

Players can also expect revamped single-player and multiplayer experiences, with Raeburn promising "progressive reward system and community features" for online multiplayer. DiRT 2 is scheduled to launch in 2009.

[Via Joystiq]