ACC | Stefano Casillo Leaves Kunos Simulazioni

[Paul Jeffrey]

One of the key men responsible for Ferrari Virtual Academy, NetKar Pro, Assetto Corsa and Assetto Corsa Competizione has left Kunos Simulazioni - goodbye and good luck Stefano Casillo!

Universally regarded as one of the most impressive coding talents in the sim racing landscape, in his role of founder and lead programmer at Kunos Simulazioni, Stefano Casillo (that's Ste'fano, not Stefano! - I remembered!!) has been at the forefront of sim racing development for almost two decades.

Working on some of the most highly regarded racing simulations of a generation, from the likes of NetKar Pro, Ferrari Virtual Academy, the original Assetto Corsa and now Assetto Corsa Competizione, Casillo has proven time and again his ability to bring together a sublime racing experience for sim racers the world over.

Of course, many talented men and women have worked together at Kunos over the years, and that work will undoubtedly continue in the years to come with or without Stefano, so don't worry about the future folks - I'm sure it is in safe hands!

Taking to his personal Facebook account this morning, Casillo has confirmed he is no longer a part of the Italian Kunos Simulazioni development team, having taken the opportunity to move on to pastures new as founder of the new Jaxx Vane Studio. I'm sure I speak for all at RaceDepartment in wishing Stefano the best of luck with his new ventures, and wholeheartedly thanking him for the things he has achieved in the (virtual) sport we all love!

The Facebook announcement post in full:

Today is a different morning for me.​

​

For the first time since 2005 I woke up and I did not sit at my PC thinking about Kunos Simulazioni software development.​

​

Yes, this might come as a shock, but as of today I am not directly involved with Kunos Simulazioni software development anymore.​

​

Of course this is not like I had imagined my first day as "full solo indie" back in September when I decided it was time to move on from Kunos Simulazioni, it was a different time back then, before the Corona Virus shook our lives... so, at the end, this post doesn't happen in a mood as festive as I hoped for.​

​

Because of this, and out of respect for all the guys there trying to deal with one of the hardest times humans had to go through since the end of WW2 I will keep this as brief and informative as possible.​

​

My relationship with the guys in Kunos and Digital Bros is and always was amazing, there is no friction and no bad feeling coming from my decision, that follows over time the one me and Marco took in 2017 when we moved the ownership of our company under Digital Bros umbrella.​

​

Enough time was given in order to make the transition as smooth and painless as possible, and thanks to the amazing talents in there I am sure the company will continue to be a shining light in the world of simracing because of the amazing talents in the team.​

​

At a certain point I started to feel like I had nothing more to give to the SimRacing genre and it was time for me to go look for new inspirations.​

​

My deepest thanks to all the guys who made Kunos Simulazioni possible, these have been the most exciting 15 years of my life and you guys made it special day after day. Marco, Simone, Gianluca, Aris, Luca, Manu, Alvio, Davide, Gergo, Alessandro, Kevin, Valeria, Fernando, Fabio, Itho, Giovanni, Fabrizio, Cristian, Pietro, Kirill, Timothy, Manuela. Plus all the guys in Digital Bros especially Rami, Raffi and Andrew who gave us the amazing chance to work on Assetto Corsa Competizione with an amount of resources we could have never dreamed of and made us feel as part of the family since day one. Love you guys, keep on rocking!​

​

As for me, I am as excited and impatient as I can be, sitting at my PC with a blank empty screen, ready to see what comes next; many ideas and fantasies running through my head as I try to remind myself I am now back in the world of real Indie development and whatever I'll do next will have to be scaled to match this new reality.​

​

My plan is to make this journey available to all of you willing to follow through the usual platforms, starting with my Youtube channel and eventually expanding to other platforms such as Twitch with frequent streams and update videos. It's going to be an open window into a world of passion, frustration, dreams, shattered dreams, hopes, disappointments, study, research, failures, re-writes, revelations,roadblocks, broken keyboards but hopefully also lots lots lots of fun.. see you out there.​

​

Stefano Casillo​

Lead Programmer and Founder​

Jaxx Vane Studio​

Original Source: Stefano Casillo Facebook

 

[RufGTI]

It is a pity that Stefano is leaving Kunos. Without him the company would never scored the success that Assetto Corsa was. Even though he was not always uncontroversial in his dealings with the community I liked him, especially for his great "Look What The Cat Hacked In" livestreams. All the best for the future, Stefano!

 

[MarkR]

I have an admire his work but dislike the man and his attitude dilemma with 'The (self-appointed) Lord'. Let's start with the positives, I truly admire many of the cars in AC and the superb VR. ACC has in time also become the first game with anywhere near realistic wet weather track driving that is always difficult but never impossible. Couple that talent with the courage and risk appetite it takes to build a business and he deserves the acclaim and financial rewards the 505 deal brought him. One person to another, I wish him well for the future especially in these difficult times.

Now the counterbalance, I'm actually glad he went quiet over the last few months, I do not miss the way he treated his customers/consumers one bit. As a fellow business owner, it is the one behaviour I could never understand - what you might fleetingly think in private does not need to be aired with the world.

For me it's no surprise he's jumped ship before the ACC console release, he was never fully behind the AC console release and it showed. Banning people from the Kunos forum for raising real issues with the game was another nonsensical behaviour, the problems were real, silencing the dissenters didn't fix the problems.

Similarly, I'll never forget Stefano's eye rolls when @Paul Jeffrey asked him about ACC including a career mode. Facial expression gives a lot away and it was clear then that he couldn't care less about the 'gamified' elements and was only interested in the simulation value. Trouble is simulation value alone is yet to produce a game that is universally popular and the publisher/licences were wise enough to know that. The lord was arrogant enough to suggest career mode devs were much cheaper than sim devs and the ACC career certainly shows they went for the cheapest option.

ACC on PC flawed genius just like the main man (applies to all of us too) behind it. ACC on the consoles will get panned (how is it even going to run on a 2013 OG Xbox One?) but 505 know that's where over 50% of AC revenue came from and money talks.

I'll finish by offering him average luck in his next venture with the hope that he intends to make either platform or fighting games (with the best physics eva!) because I can't stand either of those!

 

[Jason Mullin]

Great things made in Italy:Ferrari,Asseto Corsa and Lacuna Coil,i whish you all the best and thank you for you work

Woah woah you forgot Italy’s greatest export.

Ducati.

I also enjoy a small glass of Amaro occasionally after dinner.

I’m not sad about this, I’m quite happy and honestly applaud Stefano for having the balls to move on to his next chapter of life. God speed.

 

[Deleted member 197115]

Sad news, it's like the whole era is over.
Best of luck, Stefano, we all love you.

 

[safi hellie]

Your post was huge plot twist to me. At firs I was "yeah it is not that sad, you are right", then I read "someone took it on and made it the game it should of been all along..." not very respectful in my opinion.

Best of luck to Stefano. May I suggest a next project: realistic cat simulator, with realistic cat paw contact patch simulation, realistic claws grip and everything else

OK come on Assetto corsa on PC is legendary, on console it is rubbish.
Assetto corsa with the mods like SOL / Content manager / CSP is simply sublime....then add in the absolutely mental array of mods....

The reason AC is still going so strong is because of modders...

But yes, i thank Stefano for allowing mods in his gamer in the first place...

Isn't AC still one of steams most busy sim games?

My version of AC with the amount of mods it has could of been re badged as a new game by now...like AM2 did with Pcars...

 

[Deleted member 197115]

@MarkR you are a very bitter person. In no way Stefano deserved that salty tirade of yours.
Time to exercise that Ignore function to keep air clean.

 

[atomed]

Come to Studio397

 

[Isaac Chavira]

F

 

[PartyPePe]

Lord Kunos has left the building.

 

[MarkR]

@MarkR you are a very bitter person. In no way Stefano deserved that salty tirade of yours.
Time to exercise that Ignore function to keep air clean.

Snap!

Thank you for saving me the trouble of asking you to add me to your ignore list.

He deserved every moment of it, both the praise for his genius and the criticism of his often objectionable nature. I can hold the contradiction, people can be both good and unfathomable. Nothing bitter here I still bought ACC for the game it is now, equally I wouldn't touch a console game by Kunos if it was the last one available.

Enjoy your sim racing!

 

[Terry Rock]

@Mark...
Son!... you don't go to a funeral and take a pee on the casket while they're delivering the eulogy.
Save those sentiments for another time...IF you feel you must express them.
"Thank you" Stefano.

 

[RufGTI]

@MarkR you are a very bitter person. In no way Stefano deserved that salty tirade of yours.
Time to exercise that Ignore function to keep air clean.

I wouldn't go as far as @MarkR as regards direct criticism, especially as it seems a bit sinister at this point, but he certainly has a point. Perhaps I would even put it similarly if I had not lived in Italy for half a year until recently and experienced some of Stefano's compatriots, some of whom had similar characteristics (no offense to you dear Italians, your country is great). Stefano is definitely very talented, but hotheaded and partly too strongly convinced of his product and his abilities. You don't have to be a public figure as part of a game development team but if you choose to be one, you should mind some written and unwritten rules. Most of Stefano's communication with the community on AC1 was fine, some posts might have been questionable, some were just unprofessional.

 

[MarkR]

@Mark...
Son!... you don't go to a funeral and take a pee on the casket while they're delivering the eulogy.
Save those sentiments for another time...IF you feel you must express them.
"Thank you" Stefano.

No eulogy, he's not dead, and I specifically wished him well as a person at this difficult time.

However, universal acclaim was not achieved despite your own feelings towards the man.

 

[Rastas]

Woah woah you forgot Italy’s greatest export.

Ducati.

I also enjoy a small glass of Amaro occasionally after dinner.

I’m not sad about this, I’m quite happy and honestly applaud Stefano for having the balls to move on to his next chapter of life. God speed.

Sorry,i forgot yes,ohhh,and pizza

 

[billyblaze13]

if it hadn't been for the modders, currently nobody would use AC

don't you mean that if Kunos hadn't provided the open platform, easy to use tools, and full support for modding that nobody would be using it?...which came first the chicken or the egg?

 

[norbs]

I have an admire his work but dislike the man and his attitude dilemma with 'The (self-appointed) Lord'. Let's start with the positives, I truly admire many of the cars in AC and the superb VR. ACC has in time also become the first game with anywhere near realistic wet weather track driving that is always difficult but never impossible. Couple that talent with the courage and risk appetite it takes to build a business and he deserves the acclaim and financial rewards the 505 deal brought him. One person to another, I wish him well for the future especially in these difficult times.

Now the counterbalance, I'm actually glad he went quiet over the last few months, I do not miss the way he treated his customers/consumers one bit. As a fellow business owner, it is the one behaviour I could never understand - what you might fleetingly think in private does not need to be aired with the world.

For me it's no surprise he's jumped ship before the ACC console release, he was never fully behind the AC console release and it showed. Banning people from the Kunos forum for raising real issues with the game was another nonsensical behaviour, the problems were real, silencing the dissenters didn't fix the problems.

Similarly, I'll never forget Stefano's eye rolls when @Paul Jeffrey asked him about ACC including a career mode. Facial expression gives a lot away and it was clear then that he couldn't care less about the 'gamified' elements and was only interested in the simulation value. Trouble is simulation value alone is yet to produce a game that is universally popular and the publisher/licences were wise enough to know that. The lord was arrogant enough to suggest career mode devs were much cheaper than sim devs and the ACC career certainly shows they went for the cheapest option.

ACC on PC flawed genius just like the main man (applies to all of us too) behind it. ACC on the consoles will get panned (how is it even going to run on a 2013 OG Xbox One?) but 505 know that's where over 50% of AC revenue came from and money talks.

I'll finish by offering him average luck in his next venture with the hope that he intends to make either platform or fighting games (with the best physics eva!) because I can't stand either of those!

Well said. Summed it up pretty well. No doubting his coding abilities. Far less impressed with the person.

That said, I thank him for what he has given us.

 

[Terry Rock]

No eulogy, he's not dead, and I specifically wished him well as a person at this difficult time.

However, universal acclaim was not achieved despite your own feelings towards the man.

Not saying he's dead.
What I'm saying is there is a time and place for everything.

 

[safi hellie]

Not saying he's dead.
What I'm saying is there is a time and place for everything.

Which is fine but he has simply left a company he sold to someone else ages ago, who made a game he stopped working on even longer ago.
He is still able to if he wished to make another sim game like AC....
So the crazy over reaction of some people like he is dead is mental.

The game still exists, loads of people still play it and it pretty much keeps RD's mods section alive...
Because Stefano leaves kunos (which he sold anyway) means absolutely nothing to AC as a game and even less to ACC...

I simply can't understand how some people find any of this 'sad news'.

People who sell their companies to bigger companies for millions and stay on for a bit to get more money and do the hand over don';t really, or shouldn't really garner any sympathy once they disappear to spend their millions...
It's not even like he was sacked or anything....
Madness...

 

[ZeldaACFan17]

I don't really understand much of the saltiness that is in this comment section...

 

[Alex Townsend]

Woah woah you forgot Italy’s greatest export.

Ducati.

I also enjoy a small glass of Amaro occasionally after dinner.

I’m not sad about this, I’m quite happy and honestly applaud Stefano for having the balls to move on to his next chapter of life. God speed.

Ha ha, and while we're on other awesome Italian exports, Pizza and Pasta, possibly my favourite foods washed down with a nice drop of red wine.

Good luck for the future Stefano, hope the rest of the guys at Kunos can utilise your code into the next sim to the critical acclaim that you brought to us all those years ago with AC and now ACC.
Given me and many others thousands of hours of immense fun with your hard work and for that I salute you and wish you good luck and happiness in your future endeavors.