Hot Wheels Unleashed is a project unlike any that Milestone has recently produced. Fans of the longrunning toy brand have been without a signature video game release for many years, with the most recent title being the Hot Wheels DLC for Forza Horizon 3. From its initial pitch, Unleashed was designed as a love letter to the Hot Wheels franchise, with every aspect of the game reflecting Milestone's vision, from the art direction to the dozens of playable vehicles. It taps into the whimsy and imagination of playing with Hot Wheels as a kid by doubling down on the toy-aesthetic.
Game Rant spoke with Milestone's Federico Cardini, the Lead Game Designer on Hot Wheels Unleashed, about how the game came to be, and what its development process was like. Milestone is a studio that has developed arcade racers in the past, but has been more recently working in the simulation genre with franchises like MotoGP and Monster Energy Supercross. In the interview, Cardini describes the intentions of Milestone in developing Hot Wheels Unleashed, as well why Milestone is one of only a few studios who could actually take on the challenge.
Q: How did Milestone start working on Hot Wheels Unleashed? Was the team approached by Mattel, pitched it to Mattel themselves, etc.?
Cardini: We approached Mattel with an initial pitch design around 2018. In that period, they were pretty busy on other projects, so they didn’t get back to us immediately. Our first thought has been, “Ok, we tried, but it looks they are not interested.” Then a few weeks later, they replied, and they were quite enthusiastic to work together on our project.
Q: Milestone for the better part of 20 years has been developing realistic racing titles, many of which are centered on motorcycle racing: How has this experience helped developing Unleashed? What has been the biggest obstacle?
Cardini: First of all, let me say that actually Milestone in the past has made some iconic 4-wheel arcade games, such as Screamer. So, these type of games have been always part of our DNA. But you’re right, in more recent days we focused a lot on more realistic racing games. I think we brought part of our experience in simulative games to Hot Wheels Unleashed too, since racing skills are quite important in our game, even if it can be played by all by lowering the difficulty level.
Q: I grew up playing with and collecting Hot Wheels, watching the movies, and most importantly, playing the games, like World Race and Stunt Track Challenge: Did Milestone check out some of these older titles while working on Unleashed?
Cardini: Yes, we conducted research on previous Hot Wheels games, mainly to have an initial reference on how the brand has been interpreted before. Then we wanted to create something unique, creating from scratch what we believe is the best Hot Wheels gameplay experience so far.
Q: The last full-fledged, non-mobile Hot Wheels title was Hot Wheels: World’s Best Driver from 2013. Why do you think it's been so long since Hot Wheels had a large release like this?
Cardini: To create a full-fledged, non-mobile Hot Wheels game, you need a lot of experience in racing games; there aren’t many studios like that. We are 100% focused on racing titles, so when we realized the opportunity before us, we thought it was worth pitching to Mattel.
Q: The direction of Unleashed does a great job at capturing the toyness of Hot Wheels, something that many games have not. As someone who engaged much of the Hot Wheels fiction as a kid, it was almost jarring seeing this “realistic” game. Was Unleashed always designed with this look and style in mind? Were there ever plans for a more traditional racing game that just featured Hot Wheels cars?
Cardini: Yes, absolutely! Since the beginning during our initial brainstorming, the goal was clear: we wanted to make a Hot Wheels game with real Hot Wheels diecast cars, not something using real cars with Hot Wheels stickers on them.
Q: According to Unleashed’s website, the Track Builder is the same one used to design the game’s levels: Where did the Track Builder come in the development process? Was it designed initially for both game developers and players in mind, or did it need to be reworked at some point for general audiences?
Cardini: The track builder came very early in the development process. Actually, it was one of the first parts of the game to be created. And this is because, in our minds, you can’t do a Hot Wheels game without a track builder; building a track is a fundamental part of the experience when playing with Hot Wheels. The development of the track builder took around 2 years and we created it with both our team of developers as well as Hot Wheels Unleashed’s players in mind.
Q: How involved has Mattel and Hot Wheels been in the development process?
Cardini: Every asset and piece of game content has been approved by Mattel and all other brands included. We also worked together with Mattel for other general feedback on the game.
Q: Players can unlock vehicles and customization items through Unleashed’s Racing Seasons. What sorts of challenges can players expect to be doing in order to earn these items?
Cardini: To earns items included in the Seasons, players will need to win races and complete specific tasks.
Q: With over 60 cars already slated for the game, ranging from classic Hot Wheels cars to the Batmobile, and even more coming after launch, how does Milestone decide which cars to include?
Cardini: We handpicked each vehicle, considering which models were more appreciated by the Hot Wheels community. This part of the game was a pretty easy task, I have to admit, since many people in the team have been a part of the Hot Wheels community since they were kids.
Q: Hot Wheels currently sells vehicles based on Mario Kart, Minecraft, and many other gaming franchises: Any chance some of these video games crossover into Hot Wheels Unleashed’s future?
Cardini: Yes, and as an example we previously announced in our post-launch plan, we’ll be releasing Street Fighter cars. We’re excited to hear fan feedback on these - they will be amazing!
Q: Is there anything more that you would like to add that we haven’t covered?
Cardini: Customization will be another big part of this game, since you can customize vehicles with your favorite design to look unique on track. Also, you can customize your basement (a race-hosting environment to make your own), so when you’ll be playing there with your friends, they will see your customized environment.
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Hot Wheels Unleashed is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.