Forza Motorsport was announced for the Xbox Series X, Series S, and PC back in July, bringing the more serious of Microsoft's racing games to the new generation of consoles. The game currently has no confirmed release date, but a surprising new rumor suggests it may be further away than gamers were expecting, and that the as yet unannounced Forza Horizon 5 could take its place as the 2021 entry in the series.
The information comes from reliable industry insider Jeff Grubb, who made the comments on the Xbox Empire podcast, stating that, "...we might get the next Forza Horizon game first and it might be coming this coming year." The hosts and Grubb also briefly mentioned the possibility of the game being set in Japan; this was not confirmed although Grubb said he would love to see it.
Forza Horizon 4 was the most recent game in either Forza series to be released, back in 2018, and having reached well over 10 million players it is arguably the most successful Forza title ever. The developer Playground Games has expanded in recent years, and is also well-known for being strong on the technical side of development, which may help it to adapt more quickly to the increased performance of the Xbox Series X and Series S.
Given that the two Forza series have typically released in alternate years, it would be unlikely for both to be launched within the same year. Meaning that whichever of the titles launches first will likely be in 2021, with the other in 2022. They both use the same engine named ForzaTech, however it could be that Forza Horizon 5 utilizes an existing or slightly modified version rather than a full next generation update, allowing for a shorter development cycle. But with two-year cycles the norm, it would not be beyond expectation for Playground Games to have the game ready by the end of 2021, three years after Forza Horizon 4.
Given the delays to the flagship title Halo Infinite, Microsoft will undoubtedly be looking at its studios to see which might be able to push forward release dates. While many gamers love to discuss the technical merits of the more serious Forza Motorsport versus Gran Turismo series, particularly on new hardware, the more lighthearted open worlds of Forza Horizon have become a favorite of gamers across the world.
It would be very positive news for Microsoft if Playground Games were able to release the next in the well-loved and growing series in 2021, particularly as PlayStation 5 has so far been outselling the Xbox Series X and Series S. Forza Horizon 5 would also be likely to inspire quite a few gamers to sign up for Xbox Game Pass.
Forza Horizon 5 is yet to be officially announced.
Source: Xbox Empire Podcast