Since the release of the first trailer on April 21, one feature has dominated discussions about F1 22. And that is F1 Life.
Photo credit: EA / Codemasters.
F1 Life was announced as a new game mode that allows players to ‘get a taste of the glitz and glamour of Formula 1’, fans have passionately debated about what it could look like and how much value it actually adds to the game. While some see it as a fun addition for collectors, others fear it could be a cash-grab that might also negatively impact other features of the F1 22.
With one month to go until the release of the game, more and more information on it has started to come to the public. Here is our summary of what is known about F1 Life so far. Also, we discuss how the new feature might influence the entire game.
F1 Life – This is Your Space
The general idea of F1 Life is to collect and present. By playing the game, you will unlock several digital items like trophies by winning Grands Prix, clothing by progressing in Podium Pass or the newly added Supercars by playing challenges.
In a recent video, content creator Aarava shared further insights on the new game mode that he had gathered by playing a preview of the game. He compares F1 Life to the Forza Horizon 5 housing area.
“But it went further, because you could actually look inside in a room”, Aarava remembers. He says that within this “lounge area”, players can show off their collectables in any way they want to. From a trophy cabinet to furniture and even art – everything seems to be customizable in F1 Life. In another video, Nathan Quinn from “The Race” compared the feature to the Test Drive Unlimited Series.
In a recent interview with “Gamingbolt”, Senior Creative Director of F1 22, Lee Mather, confirmed creating “a space to call their own” for the players is what F1 Life is all about.
Real Clothing Brands as Part of the Game
When it comes to the virtual items players can collect in F1 22, some surprises are waiting for us. In his insight video on F1 22, Aarava revealed that in addition to your racing suit, you can now also dress your driver avatar in casual clothing, including accessories like shoes or hats.
The content creator also revealed that real-world clothing brands will be part the game’s wardrobe. For example, he remembers seeing a shirt of “Anti Social Social Club” that could be outfitted on the driver avatar.
Based on this fact, we surely can expect more surprises concerning the collectables in F1 22. However, besides all discussions on what players will be able to collect in F1 Life, one other question has seriously worried some fans since the announcement of the game mode: how much of an impact will F1 Life have on the rest of the game?
While Codemasters haven’t revealed everything yet, other parts of the game will be connected to F1 Life.
Invite Others to Your Room
With F1 life being majorly about showing off collectables, it is no surprise that it’s connected to several multiplayer features. Most importantly, F1 Life will be the location of the multiplayer lobby. That means that before heading into a race, you will be able to study the items of your opponents.
Apart from the multiplayer features, Lee Mather also told “Gamingbolt” that F1 Life is the space where players “customise and personalise their game”. The fact that Mather is not only talking about personalising F1 Life but about the game in general led to speculations that F1 Life might have a direct impact on how the entire game looks for each player. In his insight video, Aarava speculates that F1 Life could be integrated into the main menu in some way.
The Inclusion of Microtransactions?
When the news broke in February 2021 that EA bought F1 game developer Codemasters, fans immediately pointed out their concern. They feared the new publisher might apply more micro-transaction-based features in the F1 franchise as they did in others of their sports games like FIFA or Madden.
These concerns quickly grew when F1 Life was announced, a feature that could easily be based on microtransactions. However, as of now, there is no confirmation whether items in F1 Life can be bought with real money or not.
An even bigger concern of fans was that a microtransaction-based feature could be introduced that even has an impact on the gameplay itself. A negative example has been Ultimate Team from the FIFA franchise, where players need to spend a lot of extra money to get a competitive team.
F1 Life does not seem to be that kind of feature. Aarava in his video stated that “it does not actually necessarily affect things majorly in the game” and everything we know so far indicates that F1 Life will all be about cosmetic items.
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