Codemasters has confirmed what fans have been wanting to hear: that Colin McRae: Dirt 2 will have 8-player online multiplayer, a first for the series. They made sure to stress that the 8-player limit is not a technical limitation — Dirt 2 runs off of the same EGO engine that GRID was built on, and that game had 12-player races — but more of a sweet spot which just works best for the game. Other features that were announced included an Online Jam mode where players can race anyone, with any car, on any track.

And they also announced a McRae Memorial Challenge for the end of the game, in honor of the tragic death of Colin McRae in 2007, “This is a special one-off three stage rally in which the player will compete against Colin’s own family, Jimmy and Alister McRae, and a host of as yet unannounced motor sports superstars. We’ll be revealing a list of their names closer to our release date.”