Automobilista Back on Steam!

Paul Jeffrey · Apr 11, 2016

Reiza Studios have again made available for purchase new racing simulator Automobilista Motorsports Simulator after a recent Copyright Infringement claim forced the Brazilian studio to withdraw the title from Steam.

On March 29th 2016 small Brazilian development team Reiza Studios were forced to withdraw from sale new racing simulator Automobilista Motorsports Simulator (AMS) due to an undisclosed copyright claim by an external party.

At the time of withdrawal Reiza's Renato Simioni rightfully refused to confirm details of the claim other than stating that no specific reference to content allegedly in breach of copyright has been referenced.

As is the rules with any such DMCA claim if the claiming party fail to escalate the claim to the courts within two weeks of the initial notice (i.e. no actual legal motion against what has been claimed to be in breach of copyright) then the subject of said claim can return to its original position and resume sale.

This is a fantastic piece of news for the sim racing community in general and Reiza Studios in particular as AMS is showing signs of being a significant step forward from previous titles produced by the studio.

Indeed despite much speculation and suggestions from the sim racing community no official confirmation of the copyright claim and content claimed against has been released by either Reiza or the claiming party. It is advisable to not begin speculation on this subject again and just simply rejoice that the potential impact on both Reiza and the sim racing scene in general has been minimal and studios such as Reiza can continue releasing high quality racing tracks and vehicles for sim racing enthusiasts to enjoy.

The whole episode has been an unfortunate blot on what is otherwise an enjoyable pastime for many people and I for one am glad that common sense has prevailed and we can all get on with what we enjoy most: Racing these wonderful machines.

Don't forget to check out the RaceDepartment Automobilista Forum for top quality Club Racing, gossip news and chat as well as a comprehensive (ahem) Mods section.

So its back! Do you think the temporary withdrawal from Steam sale has helped or hindered the progress of Reiza's latest title? If you didn't have it before, will you be getting it now? Let us know in the comments section below!

Tim.E · Apr 12, 2016

Omg yea! Was planning to pick it up on the day it got removed. Finally!

Paul Jeffrey · Apr 12, 2016

Its a good purchase mate, have fun with it

(and join in our Mini Friday races... epic

)

alexSchmurtz · Apr 12, 2016

So it looks like this claim was not very well thought… Glad to see the title back! Now the question is: will the extra exposure of the game compensate for the lack of sales during 2 weeks?
Sure it is a great title, very enjoyable to drive, with a nice variety of cars and tracks! And the online races here @RD are great fun!
Reiza has been pretty quiet during those 2 weeks; usually that means they have been busy…

Terry Rock · Apr 12, 2016

I'm very happy for these guys...and yes, I believe all the controversy will indeed help their sales overall.
The product is a very good one.
The price is right and people do not like large corporations trying to put smaller ones under their thumb.
Rebellion will 'drive' sales.

fortyfivekev · Apr 12, 2016

Great news that it's back. Some publicity and so more people knowing about this sim could be a good thing if it results in more sales. I hope Reiza are not too discouraged by what has happened as these things can be pretty depressing if you are relying on selling something for your income.

budlix · Apr 12, 2016

Nice to see them back, hope things are sorted out, but bitter taste remains. Would like to know what was that. I'm not happy that somebody can throw complaint just as is and influence someone's business. Thumbs up for Reiza, you are rollin'!

Marc Goaderoch · Apr 12, 2016

Good news for my favorite simulation!

ThatRacingGuy · Apr 12, 2016

Welcome back my favorite sim

xnorb · Apr 12, 2016

I think for such a niche product as GSCE/AMS the publicity this story generated is very welcome, especially as the claim was a very soft one as it seems and Reiza will not be branded as "Company that has stolen assets" (or similar, you know what people make up).

During all this time Reiza has been very quiet but they have been working in the background, so i'm already prepared for some sweet teasers and hopefully another feature rich update

Enzo Fazzi · Apr 12, 2016

That picture is amazing!

xnorb · Apr 12, 2016

Just now the AMS update hit Steam some 750MB.

Terry Rock · Apr 12, 2016

xnorb said:
Just now the AMS update hit Steam some 750MB.

Hopefully, it's not an 'update' to remove stuff already in place as some type of compromise.

ThatRacingGuy · Apr 12, 2016

Can anybody confirm what this 750MB did to AMS?

Warren Schembri · Apr 12, 2016

This is the changelog as posted by Renato on the Reiza forum site

Build v0.8.9r Changelog:

Added new controller / FFB recovery mechanism in attempt to rectify occasional loss of functionality in between sessions
Added extra information & reprofiled dashboard displays to better represent real counterparts (for Lancer Cup, Marcas, F-Extreme, Metalmoro MR18 - remaining cars to be updated in the following update)
Repainted skins for several fictional series
Goiania: Updated AI
Marcas: Updated external sounds

hex · Apr 12, 2016

Build v0.8.9r Changelog:

Added new controller / FFB recovery mechanism in attempt to rectify occasional loss of functionality in between sessions
Added extra information & reprofiled dashboard displays to better represent real counterparts (for Lancer Cup, Marcas, F-Extreme, Metalmoro MR18 - remaining cars to be updated in the following update)
Repainted skins for several fictional series
Goiania: Updated AI
Marcas: Updated external sounds