The reveal of Forza Horizon 5 during the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase over E3 2021's starting weekend surprised many. The game being announced wasn't a surprise, due to early leaks, but the sheer size and scope of Forza Horizon 5 certainly shocked viewers. Each sequence of Forza Horizon 5 gameplay traveled to a different part of Mexico's diverse countryside. It's no surprise to hear then that Playground Games aspired to create the largest Forza Horizon yet with its newest game.
Forza Horizon 5 creative director Mike Brown says that Playground started with the idea of making "the biggest Horizon ever." However, Brown says that Playground wasn't content with just expanding Forza Horizon 5's borders and delivering the same experience as Forza Horizon 4. Instead, Playground focused on "the most diverse and contrasting Horizon ever." With that in mind, Brown says that there were relatively few regions that made sense as a setting for Forza Horizon 5. Ultimately, of those few Mexico was the one that stood out.
Brown goes on to describe everything that Mexico has to offer geographically to a game like Forza Horizon 5. He mentions Mexico's snowy mountains, incredible beaches, beautiful jungles, rolling hills, farmland, mountain ranges, and its many historic cities, as well. Fans will also note Playground has also added Mexico's volcano Pico de Orizaba, the tallest volcano in all of North America, captured in unbelievable detail with precision photogrammetry data that was collected on-site.
Environmental and geographical detail isn't Playground Games' only priority, however. Playground also went to great effort to capture Mexico's culture. Brown says an extra effort went into adding music and artwork from Mexico into the game so as to best represent the diversity of Mexico's people, their cities, and their lives. It's perhaps the least Playground can do while turning their cities and countryside into epic race tracks and stunt courses.
It's easy to see then why Playground considers Forza Horizon 5 the largest Forza yet. It's rich in detail and full of exciting and diverse content not just to drive by in passing, but to experience and discover. And that's not even considering all of the cars, the types of gameplay experiences, or Forza Horizon 5's updated weather system.
For those who want to shrink down the entire discussion to one aspect of it, the size of the map, Playground does have that covered, too. Brown says that Forza Horizon 5's map will be about one-and-a-half times the size of Forza Horizon 4's Britain. It's going to be a very big game in all regards, to say the least.
Forza Horizon 5 releases November 9 on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
Source: IGN