The Forza series is a franchise with a long and storied history, and is seeing as much praise and love as ever with the recent release of Forza Horizon 5. But, as is expected for a series that has existed for over fifteen years, there are a number of secrets and odd facts spread out across the many Forza titles.
These range from a myriad of different topics, from licensing issues to small graphical inconsistencies, but reveal much about the Forza series and its development.
Forza Horizon’s Developers Were Relatively New
Playground Games Limited, known for developing the Forza Horizon series, are also well known for creating such an integral part of the greater Forza franchise. However, they were relatively new,and a potentially risky endeavor for the developers of the Forza Motorsport series, Turn 10 Studios.
With that being said, Dan Greenawalt, the director of Turn 10 Studios, was optimistic about the partnership form the start. In an interview with Autoblog, he said, “…I wanted to get people focused on Playground Games. We selected a great partner, we’re excited to be working with them and they have a tremendous pedigree.”
Who Used To Hold The Rights To Porsche?
The Forza franchise features a massive array of vehicles from a huge number of different manufacturers. However, the company that owned the license to Porsche vehicles in video games was, interesting enough, Electronic Arts, better known as EA. In fact, EA held the rights to that license from Forza Horizon 2, onwards, but this would ultimately change.
In a mutual parting of ways in 2016, EA would no longer hold the Porsche license. However, this changed nothing about Porsche vehicles in Forza games, and they can still be seen in the most recent installment, Forza Horizon 5.
The Series Has Seen Many Crossovers
The Forza series, as a whole, has been focused on real cars throughout its lifespan. However, this has not always been the case. The series has also seen a number of crossovers with fictional properties. Sometimes, these cars are more realistic, such as those from the Fast and Furious or James Bond franchises. But Forza games have also seen more fantastical additions to their roster of vehicles.
For example, in Forza Horizon 3 and Forza Horizon 4, the iconic Warthog from the Halo franchise was features, as well as Quadra Turbo-R V-Tech from Cyberpunk 2077. Even the Fallout franchise saw a vehicle in the Forza series, with the Chryslus Rocket 69 from the Fallout franchise making an appearance in Forza Motorsport 6. However, these are only a small number of the crossovers that the series has continued to see.
Clones In Forza 6
If an eagle-eyed player happens to look at the crowds in Forza Motorsport 6, they might notice something slightly unusual. On certain maps, assets were reused for the throngs of people watching the races.
This is not particularly noticeable during the excitement of a competition. However, it means that multiple characters standing next to each other are identical, including clothing, making it seem as if clones are watching the races.
The Appearance Of Crowds In Forza 3 And 4
Many games in the Forza franchise allow for “hot-lapping,” or driving a car on a track without a specific reason, such as a race or record. However, both Forza Motorsport 3 and Forza Motorsport 4 see interesting changes to the crowds when players choose to hot lap.
If a player chooses to hot-lap in those games, the crowds will not appear. While it makes sense for spectator to not be present when a racer is merely driving for their own enjoyment, this feature would disappear in later Forza titles, and crowds would still be present, even when a player is only hot-lapping.
Weight Reduction In Forza 3 And 4
Both Forza Motorsport 3 and Forza Motorsport 4 allow players to purchase weight reduction for their vehicles. as one of many modifications seen throughout the series. This removed the passenger seat in various vehicles, and even changes the models of said vehicles.
While weight reduction existed in later titles, this feature reflecting on a car’s model was removed in later titles. However, oddly enough, this feature exists for one car in Forza Motorsport 7. Weight reduction in fact removes the passenger seat for the Plymouth Cuda, and rarely other vehicles throughout the series, but is widely absent for other cars.
Some Cars Have Keys Scanned In
The Forza series has had hundreds of cars since it began. However, there is a small, mostly insignificant feature that some vehicles have that others lack in the Forza Motorsport games: their keys are still inside. Evidently, keys were only modeled for specific vehicles.
For example, the Skyline R32 and Skyline R33 both have highly detailed key models, but the Skyline R34 does not include this small detail. And yet, Skyline cars are not the only ones with keys, as other examples include the Porsche Macan and Sunbeam Tiger also include keys in their models.
Why Was Mexico Chosen For Forza Horizon 5?
Forza Horizon 5, as many know, is set in Mexico, and its open world structure allows for exploration and races across a number of biomes. However, what may be known to few is the reason why the game’s developers chose this setting for the newest Forza installment. Mexico is a large and diverse country, which Creative Director Mike Brown expanded upon in an interview.
“…Mexico as a country – it’s almost like the whole world in one country,” said Brown. “…because you have volcanoes, snowy mountains, canyons, jungles, rolling hills, ancient cities, like really modern beachfront hotels, various different flavors of desert. And all that comes together to create an open world that is just so much fun to explore – every area you go into, you’re seeing new things, experiencing new things. Then you add on top of this incredible, diverse open world the fact that Mexico has this culture that’s known and loved all over the world: the art, the music, the people.” Mexico, with its diverse landscape and culture, only continues to add onto the many place the Forza franchise has explored.
Dynamic Weather In Forza Horizon 5
Mexico is a country with a number of diverse biomes and climates contained within it. all of which offer a myriad of Forza driving experiences. As such, it is no surprise that this is also seen in Forza Horizon 5.
In fact, weather in Forza Horizon 5 is highly dynamic from region to the next, which can affect driving as players move across different biomes. Not only can weather change over time, but different biomes can be experiencing different forms of weather at the same time, heightening immersion.
Ray-Traced Audio
Ray-tracing is a particularly interesting graphical technology, which allows for highly realistic graphics. Ray-tracing normally functions by “tracing” a path from an imaginary eye through a screen, and rendering what colors it would see. However, ray-tracing can be done through other mediums as well, as Forza Horizon 5 proves.
In Forza Horizon 5, audio is also ray-traced, allowing for more realistic and immersive sound design. Therefore, ambient sound will change drastically, based on a player’s speed, Forza vehicle of choice, and their surroundings as they drive through the game world.
