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!

Under The Hood: In-Game Map QA

Creating Euro Truck Simulator 2 and American Truck Simulator is a collaborative effort involving many talented teams across SCS Software. While map designers, artists, programmers and more build the driving experience, another team works alongside them to ensure everything functions exactly as intended before players hit the road.

In this Under the Hood blog, we'd like to introduce you to two members of our In-Game QA team, Ivan and David. We asked them about their day to day work, how testing fits into the development process, why quality assurance is about much more than simply playing the game and more!

David - ATS Map QA Lead

"Hey, fellow truckers! My name is David, and I'm 28 years old. I joined SCS as a junior tester when I was just 20, and at the time, I was the youngest employee in the entire company. Today, I'm the QA Lead for ATS map testing. That means I organize and oversee the testing of all ATS map DLCs, communicate with the leads of our map design teams, solve the most complex issues and bugs we encounter, and simply be there for my team whenever they need help. Over the years, I've seen SCS Software grow from a team of around 100 employees into a company of more than 400. When I joined, we were working on the Oregon DLC, and it has been incredible to see how our development and testing processes have evolved and improved alongside our expanding game worlds."

Ivan - World Map Design QA Lead

"Hi everyone! My name is Ivan, and I've been with SCS Software for a little over six years. I started out as a junior tester, but soon after, I took on the responsibility of overseeing map testing for Euro Truck Simulator 2. Today, my role is World Map Design QA Lead, and I manage our entire map testing team, which currently consists of 20 people. Together, we oversee testing for both American Truck Simulator and Euro Truck Simulator 2. While my colleague Davincillo handles the day to day management of ATS, my main focus over the years has remained on ETS2." 

When people hear "game testing" they often imagine that you simply get to play games all day. How different is the reality?

"Map testing is definitely not just playing the game all day. That's a classic myth. While the 'playing' aspect certainly has its place, it really only happens during the final stages of our testing process. The reality is far more methodical. We spend hours, or even days, testing one specific part of the map. We drive through the same stretch of road multiple times, checking completely different things on each pass while using different camera views and debug tools.

Simply playing the game is not enough to be a good tester. There is a specific skill set you need, these include attention to detail, a logical and analytical mindset, a good understanding of game industry standards, and a passion for making games more enjoyable for others. Communication skills are also vital because finding a bug is only half of the job. The other half is making sure the right people understand the issue. Ultimately, a good tester should save developers time. Instead of simply reporting that 'something is wrong,' a proper report explains the issue, how to reproduce it, what causes it, and potentially how it could be fixed."

What does a typical day look like for a QA Lead?

"Every day is a little different, but it generally consists of a mix of meetings, coordination, and oversight. Most of my time is spent assigning work, tracking testing progress, reviewing reported bugs, and regularly syncing with developers. Some days are calm and focused on planning, while others are all about solving unexpected, fast-moving issues. A large part of the job involves working closely with the team, discussing the bugs we find, figuring out the best approach, and deciding together what needs the most urgent attention."

What are some of the main things your teams are looking for when testing the game?

"It heavily depends on the stage of production. In the early stages, we focus mostly on the road network itself, its layout, and ensuring the drive is smooth. A big part of this phase is also checking the functionality of the economy and verifying the placement of game elements such as gas stations, companies, and truck dealers. In the later stages, our focus shifts to the AI's ability to navigate the road network, alongside visual polish, correct signage, and core gameplay. This is also when we examine performance across different areas to identify and fix any problematic frame rate drops.

Broadly speaking, we focus on almost everything related to the map. That includes road layouts and collisions, the job economy, gas station distribution, sleep areas and service locations, the UI map and its icons, direction blockers, road markings, traffic signs, speed limits, traffic lights, navigation and voice guidance, garage cutscenes, AI trajectories, triggers, quality consistency, scene logic, terrain, vegetation, world and country borders, asset collisions, gaps in terrain, floating objects, performance-heavy locations, environmental sounds and more!"

What do you enjoy most about working in QA?

"Being a game tester is a dream job for many people, and in many ways, it really is. There is an incredibly rewarding feeling in knowing that you're the safety net protecting the player's immersion and helping make the game better for everyone. It's deeply satisfying to watch a messy, broken build gradually turn into a polished world that millions of people will enjoy driving through. 

When a new DLC is released and you see players talking about how smooth the roads feel, how great the scenery looks, or how well everything runs, it's a fantastic feeling. You can look at that and think, 'Yeah, my team helped build that.'"

When a new map DLC or major update enters testing, how do you approach such a large project from start to finish?

"The QA process often begins before production even starts. We provide early feedback on concepts to avoid known issues before development kicks off. Once production begins, we use an agile testing approach, working through multiple iterations throughout development rather than waiting until the very end to deliver one massive list of issues.

Our systematic testing process is divided into four iterations and an economy test. The first iteration focuses entirely on road layouts, ensuring roads, turns, and slopes are safely drivable, even with the longest trailers and low-power engines. The economy test then verifies that companies generate jobs correctly and that cities provide a healthy variety of destinations. As development progresses, later iterations shift towards visual quality, gameplay consistency, and overall polish.

To make testing manageable, we divide each project into smaller sections, sometimes resulting in dozens or even hundreds of individual tasks covering specific roads and cities. These are tracked throughout development, allowing us to revisit the same areas at different stages. We use maps, checklists, internal tools, and bug-tracking systems to ensure every square mile is covered, while also encouraging testers to explore freely because unexpected issues are often found where nobody would think to look."

Many players only see the finished product. Roughly how much testing goes into a map expansion, update, or feature before release? Does it differ depending on what needs testing?

"There is a massive amount of testing involved, and it differs greatly depending on the project. Smaller projects, such as special event maps, can be thoroughly tested in just a few days. On the other hand, a huge project like the Nordic Horizons expansion takes thousands of hours of rigorous testing before it is ready for release.

Every single road, city, company, gas station, sleep area, tollgate, and ferry is tested at least four times, with a different tester each time. To give some insight into the scale, our Mantis bug tracker recorded 6,849 reports for the Illinois DLC, while South Dakota has generated 6,318 reports so far. These reports range from tiny holes in the terrain that are almost impossible to notice to major bugs that can cause the game to crash. Every report is assigned a priority and severity level so that the most serious issues are addressed first."

How closely do QA teams work with map designers, programmers, artists, and other departments throughout development?

"We work very closely across departments because testing is integrated throughout the entire development cycle. As map QA, we collaborate most closely with the map design and art teams. While the majority of our day-to-day communication happens through reports in the Mantis bug tracker, we also actively discuss issues through private messages on our internal chat system, and arrange direct meetings whenever an issue is important enough. Our interaction with the programming department is mostly on a need-to-know basis, usually when there is an issue involving erratic AI behaviour or when a brand-new code feature is being implemented directly into the map."

What tools or methods help you track, reproduce, and report issues efficiently?

"We rely on several internal systems that are connected to one another to track individual bugs and the overall progress of a DLC. We use a specialised internal reporting tool that allows a tester to submit a bug directly from the game or the map editor into our central bug-tracking database. Within a few minutes, the report appears and can even be viewed directly inside the map editor itself. This allows map designers to immediately see the exact issue within their active workspace and resolve it much more efficiently, saving a significant amount of time throughout development."

If there's one thing you'd like for people to better understand about QA and the work your teams do, what would it be?

"We'd like players to understand that map testing is a highly skilled, technical job, not simply driving around looking at the scenery or casually stumbling across a floating tree. In reality, a good tester is part detective and part data analyst. If we come across a strange physics bump on a highway or see AI traffic piling up at a roundabout, we don't just report it and move on. We have to understand exactly why it's happening. Translating what is broken on the road into actionable, structured information that our developers can easily understand and fix takes time, patience, and deep knowledge of the game."

What is one aspect of QA work that you think players would be most surprised to learn about?

"Players would probably be surprised by just how much knowledge about the game and real-world infrastructure you need to become a good tester. Our team has to maintain a solid understanding of complex internal game rules, real-world traffic laws, and regional layout standards across different countries. 

It's similar to the difference between someone who owns a truck and knows how to drive it and a mechanic who can remove the entire engine, take it apart piece by piece, and put it back together again. Becoming a highly skilled map tester can take years, and many testers naturally become specialists in certain areas of the game because they spend so much time working with those specific systems behind the scenes."

Have you encountered any particularly memorable, unusual, or funny bugs during your time at SCS Software?

Ivan: "Absolutely. Simulators have incredibly complex physics engines, and when things go wrong, they go wrong hilariously. It never gets old seeing an AI vehicle catapulted straight into space. Sometimes, our map designers also leave creative little surprises or jokes for us to discover during development, although we always make sure they don't make it into the live version of the game.

David: "One memorable moment happened while I was parking at a company prefab. I heard a train horn somewhere in the distance, and the sound kept getting louder until suddenly it was right next to me. The only problem was that there was no train there, and there weren't even any railway tracks nearby. A moment later, something invisible hit my truck and launched it all the way across the company. For a few seconds, I genuinely thought I had discovered a haunted company prefab."

How valuable are bug reports and feedback from the community when helping improve the game?

"Community feedback is extremely valuable to us. While our internal QA process is thorough, there are always issues that slip through, and players help us catch them by spotting details or inconsistencies that we might miss. What makes community feedback especially useful is the context players provide. Many are very familiar with the real-world locations we recreate, so they can quickly point out inaccuracies that would otherwise be difficult for us to notice. They also encounter a huge variety of gameplay situations, which helps surface edge cases that are hard to reproduce internally.

"In many cases, a well written report from the community can save us hours of investigation because players provide screenshots, videos, logs, save files, and clear reproduction steps."

Do you have a message for our community?

"A huge thank you for your support, feedback, and for riding along with us for so many years. It's an amazing feeling to work on a game where the players care just as much about the world as the people who build it. Your dedication pushes everyone at the studio to keep raising the bar with every new state, country, and feature. Safe travels, and we'll see you out on the road!"

We'd like to thank both David and Ivan for taking the time out of their busy days to chat with us about their roles in QA and how the team plays such an integral part in bringing our truck simulator titles to life. We hope you've learned a little more about the work that goes on behind the scenes. If you enjoyed this edition of Under the Hood, be sure to leave them a message in the comments below or on our social media channels. Until next time, keep on truckin'! 

Euro Truck Simulator 2: 1.60 Update Release

We are excited to announce that the 1.60 update for Euro Truck Simulator 2 is now officially released! Let's dive in and take a look at what's in store.

As always, we would first like to thank everyone who participated in the open beta phase and helped us fine-tune all the new content by reporting issues to the dedicated section on our forum. Now let's see what's new in the 1.60 update!

Game Radio

With the 1.60 update, we are introducing Game Radio, a brand-new in-game radio system designed to make every drive feel more immersive and authentic. Rather than just playing music, Game Radio gives you five stations with their own distinct sounds, identities, and moods, each one built to shape the atmosphere of your journey in a different way.

Players can tune into Rust FM, Escape, PUMP IT!, Pop Gear, and Roadio, spanning guitar-driven rock and American roots music to electronic, pop, and lo-fi. Each station features carefully curated tracks, handpicked to hold up across many hours on the road. Escape is also a radio station designed to help content creators, and we are committed to do our best to keep it stream-safe.

Game Radio also introduces a new in-game widget displaying station info, track titles, and artist names while driving. Players can customize widget behavior through the Widget Options menu (F6). This update also brings a range of improvements to the existing radio and music player systems.

Game Radio arrives with its musical foundation in place, with more planned for future updates. You can find out more information about Game Radio in our dedicated blog post.

Improved Material System

The Improved Material System significantly improves the lighting and visual quality of vehicle interiors in selected trucks. Its main focus is to enhance how interior materials react to light, which results in a more readable, detailed, and visually pleasing cabin environment.

During the development of Project Road Trip, we implemented a wide range of visual and technical improvements. One of the most significant changes was a redesign of the materials used in vehicle interiors. As a result, it makes differences between materials such as leather, fabric, plastic, and metal far more apparent, even in low-light conditions. The new solution uses multiple variants of dynamic cubemaps, allowing all materials to reflect their surroundings more naturally and respond to ambient light in a more realistic way.

The entire system was designed from the start with the interiors of trucks in both games in mind, so the base games and their existing fleets will gradually benefit from these improvements as well. The first trucks to benefit from the Improved Material System in ETS2 are the DAF NGD and MAN TG3 TGX models. With future updates, we will gradually add this technology for other trucks across both games. You can read more about this feature here.

Light Tweaks

We have carried out minor adjustments to the global lighting, primarily focused on exposure and contrast balancing, along with subtle visual refinements for bad weather conditions. The work mainly consisted of smoothing out and polishing the overall visuals to achieve a more consistent and refined look.

Volvo FH Series 6 Update

With this update, truckers can customize their Volvo FH Series 6 with a selection of several new aerodynamic parts, including the newly designed aerodynamic roof deflectors available for the Sleeper Cab, Globetrotter, and Globetrotter XL cab variants. These updated components help create a smoother and more refined roof profile, blending seamlessly into the truck's overall design.

Alongside these additions, all Aero cabin variants also have the option to add new distinctive black aerodynamic A-Pillar trim, as featured on the newest generation of Volvo FH truck. These new additions reflect Volvo Trucks' ongoing efforts to improve aerodynamic efficiency and optimise airflow around the cab to help enhance energy efficiency and overall vehicle performance.

Job Details Widget

Based on feedback from our #BestCommunityEver and upcoming widget designs, the Job Details Widget is introduced with the 1.60 update. Its primary purpose is to enable a new, more immediate, and concise way of displaying relevant job info. Also, in response to community feedback, the GPS now displays the estimated arrival day and time, along with the remaining travel time and distance.

You can enable the Job Details Widget through the Widget Options menu (F6). The widget displays key job information, including cargo type and weight, delivery location, job income (colour-highlighted), and the remaining time to complete the job, so players will have this info available immediately without the necessity to pause the game. You can read more about the feature here.

Expanded Rest Mechanic

This new feature gives players greater control over their rest periods by allowing them to choose how long they want to sleep and exactly when they want to wake up, instead of being limited to a predefined rest duration.

Alongside this change, the Fatigue system is now split into two separate values: Rest State and Mandatory Break, each represented by its own icon in the UI.

The Rest State, symbolised by a bed icon, now gradually depletes rather than recovers over time. Extended periods of driving will steadily reduce the Rest State, while resting will restore it at a faster rate.

The Mandatory Break system, indicated by a "P" icon along with the remaining hours before a required stop, functions more strictly. In Euro Truck Simulator 2, drivers may drive for up to 10 hours before taking a mandatory break, which requires 9 consecutive hours of rest. You can read more about this feature here.

Changelog

Vehicles

• Volvo FH Series 6 Update

Visual

• Improved Material System
• Light Tweaks

Sound

• Game Radio

UI/UX

• Job Details Widget
• Expanded Rest Mechanic

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Iceland: Akureyri

In today's blog, we take you along on a trip to the town of Akureyri, which you will be able to visit yourself when the upcoming Iceland DLC for Euro Truck Simulator 2 releases. So let's take a look!

Akureyri is the fourth-largest city in Iceland and is often referred to as the Capital of the North due to its location and importance to the region. Nestled on the shores of Eyjafjörður, Iceland's longest fjord, the town enjoys a spectacular setting beneath snow-capped mountain peaks, with the Glerá River flowing through its heart.

The earliest records of settlement in the area date back to the 9th century. However, it was not until the 18th century that Akureyri began to develop into an important commercial center, thanks to its harbor and proximity to rich fishing grounds. Today, it is Iceland's second-largest port and serves as a major hub for the country's fishing industry, as well as for cruise ships and cargo transport.

Drivers traveling along Route 1, also known as the Ring Road, will pass directly through the center of Akureyri. From there, several side roads branch off toward the harbor, industrial areas, and local food-processing facilities. In the port district, truckers can deliver cargo to a marine logistics center, a shipyard, and an electronics manufacturing depot.

One of Akureyri's most recognizable landmarks is Akureyrarkirkja, a striking church designed in 1940 by Guðjón Samúelsson, the architect behind Hallgrímskirkja in Reykjavík, Iceland's most famous church.

Players will also recognize a number of other landmarks inspired by their real-world counterparts, including the Hof Cultural and Conference Centre on the waterfront and the Akureyri Art Museum, with its famous colorful pavement leading to its entrance. The town is also a great spot for whale watching tours, which is why we've also included the local whale watching center.

We hope you'll fall in love with Akureyri, with its colourful houses and stunning natural surroundings. If you do, you might even buy a garage in town and transform it into your company's northern Iceland branch.

If you are eager to be trucking in this upcoming map expansion, don't forget to support us by adding the Iceland DLC to your Steam wishlist.

Also, remember to give our X/Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Bluesky, and TikTok a follow as you'll receive updates not only about Iceland, but also other news from our games straight to your feed. Or subscribe to our newsletter to stay informed. Until next time, safe travels!