The F1 23 game may have only just released. But we already have reason to believe that we will be getting some DLC. What F1 23 DLC could we possibly expect?
Every mainstream gaming title these days tries to get people to buy content post-release. The Codemasters F1 games are no exception. It’s evident to see, with the inclusion of custom liveries and helmets among other items.
But as we have previously touched upon, a lot of this post-release content rarely appeals to the average F1 game player. That doesn’t stop Codemasters and EA trying of course. If evidence from the in-game store is anything to go by, they intend to.
So what content could be added as F1 23 DLC? Here are our best guesses.
F1 23 DLC: New Tracks?
Of course, F1 23 just added the Las Vegas and Losail circuits, which were probably already a massive undertaking. The community has also been adamantly requesting the additions of other past tracks like Sepang and Hockenheim, and also the circuits that were on the 2020 season rescheduled calendar.
In the lead up to F1 22‘s launch, creative director Lee Mather was asked about the potential inclusion of tracks not on the schedule. Mather said to “watch this space”. Then, after release, the Shanghai and Portimão venues were added. For this year, Paul Ricard lost its place on the calendar but along with the aforementioned two, it was included in F1 23 from the start.
Codemasters could easily have released the Chinese, Portuguese and French GP tracks after release. But they didn’t. Could that have any significance? The current F2 season content will inevitably get added, as they always have been since F1 2019.
But could they be adding old favourites and tracks that never got their chance in the games? It may be a stretch of course.
F1 23 Classic Cars
Reintroduced in F1 2017 and carried on until F1 2020, classic cars were a beloved addition. But not beloved enough to be included in F1 2021 and beyond, which is a real shame. But, like children who neglect a toy but want to play with it when the parents take it away, we want them back.
It has been indicated that the removal of the classic cars was merely down to not enough people playing them. Players did get immediate access to them after release. So might the newly reworked Podium Pass be the way to incentivise people to unlock the cars?
F1 2019 and F1 2020‘s selection of classic cars were just the right amount of varied and iconic. There were the likes of the 1988 McLaren, 1992 Williams, 2004 Ferrari, 2009 Brawn and so many more featured.
Of course, in an ideal world we could have them in the base game. But maybe that added challenge to unlock them through the Podium Pass is just what the playerbase needs to convince Codemasters and EA to retain them. There’s another thing that the developers can add in that would be enough to make people want to tier up in the Podium Pass.
F1 23 Themed Items
Fans of F1 are always going to connect to elements of its history. But it’s not just the cars, it’s also the drivers. Codemasters and EA have taken advantage of this in the past, with drivers like Daniel Ricciardo, George Russell and Lando Norris all lending their hand to designing themed liveries, driver suits and helmets.
Also in previous games, they had items themed around Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost and Michael Schumacher. If classic cars are going to be of interest to players, maybe items centred around drivers as well as historical teams and brands are the way to go.
Maybe there’s a player out there who would like their My Team car to be decked out in the colours of Benetton or Brabham. Or to unlock ‘Bitten & Hisses’ as a sponsor like what appeared on the 1997 Jordan F1 car. Could even go as far as to have recently retired drivers like Kimi Räikkönen and Sebastian Vettel available as teammates in My Team.
With the constant oversaturation of plain default liveries for the F1 World car, perhaps players will be more tempted by items that have an actual link to F1.
What would you like added as DLC in F1 23? Tell us on Twitter at @OverTake_gg or in the comments down below!
