Should it just be what a stand alone thing? Do you want it to lean into an evergreen games a service title? Should they cut back on the excess monetization?
What about DLC? How do you want that handled in the era of Gamepass? Should they just use this as a base game ala Halo Infinite and just constantly pump out new content? Would you rather less DLC and them build off this new engine and release a sequel sooner?
The world doesn’t need a new FM every 2 years anymore, before it was more necessary due to Xbox’s severe lack of output but that is no longer a problem
Give FM a much longer lifespan and keep supporting it until a new game actually feels like something that they can actually genuinely improve on instead of a minor graphics upgrade
I think there’s a strong chance the game will serve as a platform and add content over time. Adding extra tracks, possibly types of racing series and additional cars over time, setting up racing seasons with the ability to develop your cars over the course of time. It seems absolutely possible that they go this method instead of simply going with the old method of putting out a game every couple of years.
I personally wouldn’t be shocked if Forza Horizon could look at a Forza World type platform in the future as well so that people can race where they want instead of just having a world location for a couple years. I’d love having the ability to drive an updated version of some of the older locations with better graphics and physics and newer cars… Don’t know that this would happen for the next release but maybe eventually. Think of it as analogous to the hub for AC experiences that Ubisoft has described that’s coming.
Seeing as it is a platform maybe they can do expansions like Rally being added as a huge expansion with tons of Rally cars and tracks with new mechanics and so on. I can’t see what else they could do in terms of DLC besides tracks and cars which I’m not sure people would be keen on. I guess they could do free track additions every month and eventually have like almost all tracks I’m the world.
I don’t know how they can really monetise something like Forza Motorsport because people don’t want cosmetics for their driver and they can’t do anything like custom cars so it’s weird.
One game every 5 or 6 years. DLC tracks and Cars all the way down. Turn 10 is so far ahead of Polyphony, project Cars is cancelled. Nothing can match gamepass as a commercial distribution platform.
There were rumours of a story heavy mode and considering the unusually long development time by T10’s standards (even when factoring COVID) I’m thinking that this is likely. Although I’d love to see a Racing RPG being made by someone, I’m not excited for story in FM because I’m not sure it fits the branding.
I’m thinking the typical “here’s a ton of cars, tracks, and modes that you can unlock at a decent pace, have fun!” formula that has worked in the past can work well with a new gloss of paint. Especially when that paint truly takes advantage of next gen hardware features offered in DX12U, and I’m not talking about ray traced reflections. For me the biggest thing is advanced tessellation (think Nanite in UE5) where you don’t see objects pop in or being swapped for higher detail objects.
I think that monetization opportunities present themselves in the form of new car packs that introduce 202X models of new cars every year, especially with an EV transition starting within the next couple years.
I do see a FTP Forza-like game existing and doing well with fair monetization but I don’t think this game is aiming to be that. I personally believe they have to choose between being one or the other. Releasing a $70 game and introducing a mass-MTX storefront is nonsensical. A FTP game makes more sense under the Project Gotham branding where each “season” is a new city.
I’m truly curious if they will try to enter the competitive online racing space that GT Sport has done a decent job in executing and supporting.
Are you thinking of remaking prior Horizon Titles as DLC (or bundled in a new game) or something more akin to MS Flight Sim where the whole world is available with a mix of cosole and server based content?
So I’ve definitely thought along both lines before. It seems like you could use some of the data from a flight sim esque world for Forza, but unfortunately it’s too layered and compacted and might not work as well.
My main thought currently was along the lines of your first comment, where you can unlock extra regions, maybe try to keep their world on the same engine and as future things release try to upkeep. The issue even though I’d love this is one of essentially forever adding more tech debt every time they added new areas. Not sure how well it works. Just as a fan it would be great to have older locations on newer tech and have new content added.
I’ve thought this same thing. Update the regions into Forza 5 (probably 6) and have every major transition simply be at the airport. Drive in to the cargo plane and tell the pilot where to go!
Even more than just a fan of Horizon, my entire family is so this could be a massive rainy day time sink. (I live in Western Washington so we have a couple of wet days per year. )
Yup, hence my comment about continually adding tech debt which I can’t see them wanting to do. Even supporting the old titles in the same launcher seems unlikely, even though I’d love it.
I’m not a hardcore Forza Motorsport fan tbh, I’ll just play it for the eye candy, very very interested in seeing that game on my 65 inch 4K TV, bet it will be amazing. I did like FM5 a lot though but just haven’t been able to get into the genre like I can with Horizon.
I want to see more single player content than GT7 had. The Cafe was cool, but ultimately it was pretty short. Mission mode was nice, but it really wasn’t what I was looking for. Basically I want GT7’s Cafe mode, but just, like, more of it.
I just want good physics, a better cheater/rammer penalty online system, and a better career / story mode for the single player. That all. If it will be live Service or not, don’t really matter to me.