Nintendo has Mario Kart. Sony has Gran Turismo. And Microsoft has Forza, the Xbox-exclusive racing franchise that consistently earns critical acclaim and financial success. Two Forza games, Forza Motorsport 5 and Forza Horizon 2, have already reached the Xbox One, and another arrives this year. Forza Motorsport 6 is on the way.

Forza Motorsport 6 was announced back in January with a trailer that focused on the new 2017 Ford GT Supercar; nobody expected more information to arrive until E3 starts later this month. However, thanks to a leak at Xbox's Japanese site, a number of additional screenshots and gameplay details are now available.

Judging by the leaked screens, Forza Motorsport 6 is absolutely gorgeous, easily the best looking game in the series to date. The game will support both day and night driving, as well as advanced weather effects. Players can drive these beautiful cars across a selection of 26 "world famous" locations; what these locations are exactly is still a mystery.

In addition to the game's visual upgrades, fans now know that there will be over 450 cars to collect, and online races will support up to 24 players. Online multiplayer will be augmented with 2-player split-screen support, a feature that was left out of the Xbox One's previous Forza titles.

By and large, Forza Motorsport 6 seems to be a marked improvement over Forza 5, which was criticized for its intrusive microtransactions and general lack of content. The inclusion of features like the 2-player split-screen mode show that developer Turn 10 Studios listened to what the fans want. Hopefully, Forza 6 releases without any controversy.

Xbox Japan may have jumped the gun by releasing all of this information on their website, but it's very likely that all of this was set to be revealed during Microsoft's E3 press conference. Expect to see the game in action during E3, and to learn even more details, including an actual release date and the specifics regarding the game's 26 locations.

Microsoft's E3 event is absolutely stacked. In addition to Forza Motorsport 6, Microsoft will also show titles like Halo 5 and Gears of War 4. Xbox One owners should definitely tune in to Microsoft's E3 conference when it airs live, a week from Monday.

Forza Motorsport 6 is scheduled for a holiday 2015 release, exclusively on Xbox One.

Source: IGN