SCS is no stranger to the world of sneaky teasers, and this latest update from its dev blog is no different. In its first post for 2023, the studio cheekily dubs that this year will be “The Year of the Sunflower.” At first glance, that title seems quite abstract. But, many eagle-eyed readers have already deciphered its likely meaning. The next expansion for American Truck Simulator — following Oklahoma — is likely to be its northern neighbor, Kansas.
The Sunflower State
Within the aforementioned blog post is a small gameplay teaser, which shows a pickup truck carrying a load of sunflowers out of a field. This imagery, combined with the “Year of the Sunflower” title, all points to a very big hint at “The Sunflower State,” better known as Kansas. Soon, the state may get added to the ever-expanding map of American Truck Simulator.
With the recent release of the giant Texas expansion, followed by a quick reveal of Oklahoma being the next in the pipeline, Kansas getting teased should come as no surprise.
The map expansions for American Truck Simulator have long been following a consistent trend of filling in the entire map of the country in a westward fashion. Kansas borders Oklahoma to its south and Colorado to its east, so it’s a pretty natural next choice. This, of course, means that we should then expect the line of succession to be Nebraska, South Dakota, and North Dakota (the latter two may release as one package, perhaps?).
The hills of Kansas
Kansas is pretty similar to Oklahoma in terms of size and topographical features. The Great Plains run through the state to its west, with a variety of rolling hills, rivers, and forests to its east. Like a lot of its “country” state counterparts, Kansas is home to a very small population of just under 3 million people. Considering the vastness of its land, this calls for a relatively small amount of urbanized sectors. But that means drivers will get to enjoy a lot of untouched, virtual “natural” beauty with its swath of picturesque landscapes.
Interestingly enough, the URL for this teaser blog post reads “May-2023-is-sunflower-year.” This seems to indicate we’ll get a full announcement around that time, if not that being a hint at the actual release of this new map expansion for American Truck Simulator.
