Soul of Anatolia: Meet the Team

Today, we’re excited to introduce the team behind the upcoming Soul of Anatolia map expansion for Euro Truck Simulator 2. This upcoming DLC will take drivers on a journey through one of Türkiye’s most diverse and captivating regions, featuring a rich blend of landscapes, historic cities, cultural landmarks, and scenic roads waiting to be explored.

In this edition of Meet the Team, we’d like to give you a closer look at some of the people working on the project. They have prepared a few words about themselves, their roles, and the work they have been focusing on throughout the map's development. We hope you enjoy getting to know the team helping shape the world of Soul of Anatolia.

Ernest - ETS2 Map DLC Lead

I’ve been working at SCS for seven years now, and during that time I’ve been involved in a wide range of projects. Following the Greece DLC, Soul of Anatolia is my second project as lead. Just as in the past, I’m fortunate to have a very talented and enthusiastic team, whose work, even now in the development stage, shows that Anatolia will once again be a breathtaking DLC. Türkiye is a beautiful country, and everyone on the team is fully committed and proud to bring it to players in the most perfect form possible. I can’t wait to show you more! 

Tomáš - Senior Map Designer

I joined SCS in December 2017 as a map designer, and I’ve been working in the same role ever since. Over the years, I’ve created many locations in our game world that you can drive through. I played a major role in the creation of cities such as Klaipeda, Andenes, Larissa, Lillehammer, Zadar, Olbia, and Kovrov, and I am currently creating cities for the Soul of the Anatolia DLC. I have also created many roads connecting these cities.

One of the major tasks that is part of my job as a map designer is working on border crossings. If you’ve ever driven through a border crossing in our game, you’ve likely come across my work. At some point, I became a specialist in this area, and I’m now in charge of all work related to borders. 

What I enjoy the most about being a map designer is discovering new possibilities for map creation. I always try to get the most out of a specific location and bring as much originality and authenticity as possible into the game world. What brings me the most joy is when a player drives along our roads and recognises places they’ve visited in real life. Euro Truck Simulator 2 is still just a game, but we strive to make the player feel like they’re moving through the real world, and when that feeling comes to the player, it’s a sign to me that I’m doing my job well.

Jakub - Map Designer

My journey into game development began at SCS four years ago, when I joined the team working on the West Balkans DLC. Since then, I’ve had the opportunity to grow both professionally and creatively while contributing to projects such as the Greece DLC and the Nordic Horizons DLC.

Creating immersive game worlds is where I feel most at home. As a creative person with a keen eye for detail, map design allows me to make the most of my strengths, bringing virtual environments to life and shaping experiences for players to explore.

I specialise primarily in landscapes, expansive scenery, and distinctive locations with unique character and atmosphere. I enjoy finding ways to get the most out of every location and creating a world that feels natural and authentic.

The greatest reward for me is the moment when I see that players are truly enjoying the game and that the world we’ve worked on is able to draw them in.

In addition to designing the game world, I also contribute to the creation of cutscenes and enjoy sharing my experience with my colleagues. I consider the sharing of knowledge across the team to be an important part of our work, as is our collective effort to continually improve the quality of our game.

Soul of Anatolia will be another beautiful and entertaining map DLC. You have a lot to look forward to!

Klára - Map Designer

Hi, my name is Klára, and I have been working at SCS for 3 years. During this time, I had the opportunity to be part of the amazing map teams that worked on the Greece DLC and the Nordic Horizons DLC. This time we are going to Türkiye, a country that truly stands out with its breathtaking landscapes, rich history, and unique culture. I am looking forward to capturing its atmosphere and bringing it to our game. Buckle up because this is just the beginning, and there will be much more to see!

Vlad - Map Designer

I come from the modding community, where I passionately built map mods for ETS2 for more than 10 years. Now, I have finally decided to join SCS Software, where I've already been working for almost 2 months! As a former experienced logistician and expeditor, SCS' trucking games actually inspired me to study transport and logistics, which led me to work in the logistics industry in the past. On the modding forums, I'm also known by the nickname "Vladzz-G".

Türkiye is my first project at SCS. It is a quite mountainous country, so it’s a great challenge and opportunity to apply my 10 years of mapping experience to represent the region as realistically as possible. Even so, I am still discovering new mapping tricks that make the work easier. Right now, I’m working hard on a coastal city (the name of which I won't reveal just yet!), creating advanced road layouts and doing initial landscape work. It is interesting that a long time ago, I tried to avoid mapping mountainous areas because I thought it would be too difficult, and I mostly preferred mapping flat or gently rolling terrain. But now, I feel quite confident mapping mountains too!

I can't wait to see how this DLC will look in the end, and I'm so excited to share my work with you all when the official DLC releases!

Ondřej - Junior Map Designer

Hi everyone. I've been a fan of city-builders and simulators for a long time now, so a few months ago I decided to join the SCS family as a map designer, which combines both of my favourite genres in one.

Currently, I'm still learning and working on my very first project. The southern part of the Turkish coastline is as beautiful as it is challenging. I think that with its big hills and windy roads, it will be a great visual experience.

Petr - Junior Map Designer

Hi! I joined SCS Software a few months ago. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always loved building miniature cities with toy blocks. Today, I’m a huge fan of building and strategy games, and I also love digital drawing. It’s awesome that I get to build worlds for a living!

Soul of Anatolia DLC is my first project. Currently, I’m working on the southern part of the country, which is known for its massive and beautiful mountain ranges. I’m still learning the ropes and gaining valuable experience from my amazing colleagues. I’m doing my best to truly capture the style of the local atmosphere. I’m giving it my all, and I really hope the players will enjoy exploring the new map.

Lucie - Junior Map Designer

I joined SCS in 2024 as part of the Nordic Horizons team, where I spent most of my time creating roads throughout Finland. 

Now, I have the opportunity to work on several cities and interesting locations across Anatolia. Each place has its own distinct character and atmosphere, which makes the work varied and constantly challenging. What I enjoy most is the chance to capture the richness and uniqueness of this region and bring it to life in our game world.

Kristýna - Map Designer

I joined SCS Software in 2020 and started working on the Iberia DLC, which was then in the middle of production. The last project I had the honour of working on before Anatolia called me was Nordic Horizons. I moved to the south from the towns below the Arctic Circle - there couldn't be a bigger contrast! It is this diversity and learning the peculiarities typical of different countries that keep us curious and eager to present those beautiful places in our game.

I joined the Türkiye team in the pre-production phase. I worked on various tasks across the map and in the process, got to know the variability and diversity of the regions of Anatolia. I was greatly impressed by the traces of rich history in the landscape. Due to the focus of our game on transporting goods, for example, Sultanhani Caravanserai cannot be missing. It is fascinating that sometimes, even at first glance, an ordinary hill, around which we drive, hides an archaeological site of ancient monuments.

Pavel - Map Designer

Hi, my name is Pavel, and I have been working at SCS Software for almost seven years. As a Map Designer, I have collaborated with many great people on projects such as the Iberia, West Balkans, and Greece DLCs.

Thanks to my passion for roads and driving, I gradually transitioned into the role of a road specialist, contributing my experience to other projects as well, including the Nordic Horizons DLC, the Scandinavia Refresh, and the Benelux Rework.

My goal is always to enrich each project with new ideas and details, such as new prefab types and road accessories, to bring the experience of our virtual world a little closer to the real one. I hope to deliver something special for you in this project as well.

That concludes today’s Meet the Team! We’d like to thank everyone featured in this blog for taking the time to share a little about themselves and their contributions to Soul of Anatolia.

We always enjoy giving our community a glimpse behind the curtain and highlighting the talented people who bring our virtual worlds to life. We hope you enjoyed learning more about the team and the passion driving this project forward.

As development continues, we look forward to sharing more updates from the road ahead. Until then, make sure to add the Soul of Anatolia DLC to your Steam wishlist and remember to follow us on X/Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Bluesky, and TikTok, or subscribe to our newsletter, so you never miss any updates. Until next time, we will see you on the road!