BUS SIMULATOR 21 NEXT STOP – WELCOME TO THE OFFICIAL MAP EXTENSION!
Bus Simulator 21»PC, PlayStation, Xbox»MAY 03, 2023
Hello Bus Drivers!
Today we are happy to reveal a first look into the new areas of the Official Map Extension for Bus Simulator 21 Next Stop, which will be released in form of a free DLC for all owners of the main game together with the huge Bus Simulator 21 Next Stop Update on May 16, 2023.
The Bus Simulator 21 Next Stop - Official Map Extension gives players access to a huge new area in the northern part of the North America inspired map "Angel Shores". In addition to three brand new city districts including numerous new streets, points of interest and bus stops, you can also expect brand new campaign missions which will lead you through the mountainous nature park with its idyllic lakes, forests and villages. And not to forget: For the first time there will also be deer crossings, so that caution is always advised while driving through the impressive landscapes!
Why nature and not more city stuff?
As usual, the answer to this kinda question is more simple than we’d like it to be – we wanted to create a vibrant area that will be very different from the usual urban vibe of Bus Simulator 21. The Map Extension is a sort of a natural breakaway, a resort, a retreat to mother nature. It’s a way for our players to go away from the buzzing city and have some piece of mind in a more “secluded” area. And we think that we nailed it!
Inspirations
It's no secret that almost all areas in Bus Simulator 21 are in one way or another designed after real life places. Map Extension isn’t an outlier here as well. Let’s take our new landmark – the Geysers – as an example. Some people will clearly see a resemblance with the Old Faithful – an iconic geyser located in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming – and they will be absolutely correct!
The overall vibe we got from the Pacific Northwest – namely Oregon and Washington. These were our main references when we modelled and created the DLC. While we did want the Map Extension to be a new experience with different vibes, we didn’t want it to be too separated from the main game as well, so it’s well connected to the existing locations. We can’t wait for you to take a nice scenic drive around it!
The Wildlife
Although we did talk about the new drive event already, we want to mention the animals again. It’s one of the team’s most favourite things about the DLC and A LOT of work went into actually making them work as intended.
Of course, we had things like this one happening at first…
Some of you already noticed that we were adding a new region to the game and we had to take certain precautions. When we put colliders – blockers – so you don’t wander into the new area by chance, the thing that you can see above happened, because animals reacted to the collision points as well. Gladly this bug never made it to the production builds.
We can’t wait for everyone to see the new animal drive event in action – we bet you’ll love it. New area holds many sights to witness, but the living nature, its vibe and ambience is something else to behold…
The free Bus Simulator 21 Next Stop – Official Map Extension, the huge Next Stop Update, as well as dedicated versions for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S and the Bus Simulator 21 Next Stop – Gold Edition will become available on May 16, 2023!