DiRT Showdown announced for May 2012

Billed as a “new experience” for the series, it will see the realistic rally franchise add competitive racing elements, as well as an emphasis on boosts, tricks and crashes.

‘Racing’ events offer nitrous boosts over ramps and through obstacles, ‘Demolition Derby’ has players smash and grind their way through the opposition, and ‘Hoonigan’ offers the opportunity to demonstrate freestyle tricks and stunts.

As well as 50 different events across four championships in a variety of weather conditions, multiplayer options include local split-screen play, eight-player online and YouTube integration.

“DiRT Showdown is not the sequel to the authentic rally-centric DiRT 3, but a brand new experience from the DiRT team,” said vice president of development Julian Widdows.

“We’re building on Codemasters Racing Studio’s world-class strengths in track design, graphics, AI, damage and online to create a new theatre of racing with the emphasis on accessibility and fun from race one.”

Earlier this year, Codemasters announced that it was recruiting staff for a new racing franchise.

DiRT Showdown will be available in May 2012 on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC.