The streets of Chicago and Paris will be among your racing playgrounds in Grid 2. Yep, it's official. After teasing us with burning rubber last week, Codemasters confirmed this morning that racing fans will get the keys to Grid 2 sometime in 2013.

Like its popular predecessor, Grid 2 will be part arcade racer, part sim, and Codemasters promised to "hit the sweetspot between accessibility and simulation."

"We're pushing boundaries once again with what can be accomplished in the genre via new tools, technology and innovations," Executive Producer Clive Moody said in a statement. "In single-player, split-screen and online, the next-generation of the EGO Game Technology Platform will power graphics, AI, handling and damage advancements that will immerse players in the racing experience like never before. Like its predecessor, GRID 2 will put the sheer thrill and adrenaline rush of the race at the heart of the experience. It's what we call Total Race Day Immersion."

Abu Dhabi, Miami, and the California coast will also be among the race locations, and Codemasters said it will also place a premium on Grid 2's career mode campaign while providing deep customization options for its multiplayer.

When I saw the teaser, I thought Codemasters might (mistakenly) be taking Grid into Need for Speed territory with a full-on arcade street racer. But based on the reveal trailer and the studio's statement, it looks like it will still be in that arcade/sim Goldilocks zone. Nice.