Kunos Simulazioni (2005)
Italian Automotive Simulation Studio Headquartered Inside the Vallelunga Racing Circuit
Founded in 2005 by software engineer Stefano Casillo and licensing director Marco Massarutto, Kunos Simulazioni is an Italian racing-simulation developer headquartered directly inside the Autodromo Vallelunga Piero Taruffi near Rome. Evolving from the freeware physics project netKar into commercial simulators netKar Pro (2006) and Ferrari Virtual Academy (2010), the studio achieved international prominence with Assetto Corsa (2014) and was acquired by Digital Bros S.p.A. in January 2017.
Origins in netKar, Vallelunga Paddock Relocation, and Industrial Motorsport Contracts
Kunos Simulazioni originated from netKar, a non-commercial PC driving physics simulator initiated in 2001 by Italian software engineer Stefano Casillo—taking the studio's name from his online development alias 'Kunos'—with 3D modeling and licensing contributions from Marco Massarutto. Formalizing the enterprise in 2005 to develop both retail simulations and professional engineering tools, the founders released netKar Pro in 2006, emphasizing rigid-body suspension kinematics, interactive cockpit switches, and force-feedback steering fidelity. In 2009, the company relocated its research and development offices directly inside a paddock facility at the ACI Vallelunga Circuit (Autodromo Piero Taruffi) in Campagnano di Roma, thirty kilometers north of Rome. Operating on-site at an active FIA testing venue enabled direct empirical cross-checking of CAD chassis geometry, laser-scanned asphalt profiles, and tire telemetry against physical race cars, supporting commissioned B2B simulators for tire manufacturer Marangoni, Trofeo Abarth 500 (2009), and Maranello's official single-seater training software Ferrari Virtual Academy (2010).
Assetto Corsa Commercial Expansion and 2017 Acquisition by Digital Bros
Drawing on revenue and engineering data accumulated from its industrial motorsport contracts, Kunos Simulazioni initiated development of a consumer-facing simulation platform built on a custom DirectX 11 graphics and physics architecture: Assetto Corsa. Launched via Steam Early Access in November 2013 before reaching version 1.0 on PC in December 2014—and ported to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in 2016 in partnership with Milanese publisher 505 Games—the software combined official manufacturer licenses from Ferrari, Porsche, Lamborghini, Lotus, BMW, and McLaren with laser-scanned international circuits and an open modding ecosystem. In January 2017, 505 Games' parent company, Digital Bros S.p.A., acquired 100 percent of Kunos Simulazioni's share capital for approximately 4.3 million euros while retaining studio operations at Vallelunga. Under Digital Bros ownership, the team partnered with the SRO Motorsports Group to produce the official GT3 and GT4 championship simulator Assetto Corsa Competizione (2019) before returning to proprietary engine development for Assetto Corsa EVO.