Will Forza Horizon 6 be affected by Motorsport's failure?

Forza Horizon 6, the highly anticipated addition to the Forza Horizon series, is scheduled for release three years after Forza Horizon 5, in line with Microsoft Game Studios' release cycle. Playground Games has been developing this title while gamers enjoy the latest Turn10 release, Forza Motorsport.

Some negative feedback about the latest release by Turn10 Studios has fans worried ahead of the Forza Horizon 6 release. This is because of the way Motorsport fails to live up to the players' standards in certain situations. Although it shouldn't be the case with the sixth installment in the Horizon series, the developers must ensure these factors are dealt with to regain the fans' trust.

Note: This article is subjective and reflects the author's opinions.

Developers' message to the community regarding Forza Motorsport's shortcomings

The devs have written to the community regarding the changes they want to implement in Forza Motorsport. (Image via Turn10 Studios)

The developers at Turn10 Studios have conveyed to the fans that they are aware of the negative feedback and are working on providing a better experience to the community.

This means that Microsoft Game Studios, which houses both Playground Games and the Turn10 Studios, are aware of the community concerns, and as such, fans can expect Forza Horizon 6 to be influenced by the shortcomings of Forza Motorsport.

The major issues of Forza Motorsport

Players have voiced their concerns about some major issues that could dictate further growth of Motorsport and the upcoming title Forza Horizon 6. (Image via Turn10 Studios)

With its release in 2023, Forza Motorsport got significant feedback for being a definitive racing simulator with the potential to overshadow its competitors. The new ForzaTech engine ensures fans are greeted with the breathtaking graphical fidelity that the Forza series is well-known for delivering.

However, when fans started diving deeper into the game and experiencing all its different aspects, they came across some major issues regarding the Car progression system, Forza Race Regulation (FRR) system, and AI racers.

Car Progression system

Car progression in Forza Motorsport right now works in a way where players need to use a specific car to level it up and unlock its upgrades incrementally. This needs to be done for every new car that players pick up, and this makes the progression feel rather sluggish.

This is because players further noticed that unlike the Horizon series, where the game rewards different classes of cars from wheelspins easily, in Forza Motorsport, players aren't as encouraged to change or buy new cars as frequently.

Players who have always asked for a well-structured progression system in FH5 have expressed their dislike for this car progression in Forza Motorsport, and the devs are expected to overhaul this system with various changes ahead of the Forza Horizon 6 release.

Forza Race Regulations (FRR)

FRR, or Forza Race Regulations system, is going to undergo changes owing to its inaccuracy in regulating online races. (Image via Turn10 Studios)

The online aspect of Forza Horizon and Motorsport games has been the subject of scrutiny quite often. In both the current Horizon and Motorsport titles, players have stated how much they dislike being rammed by a fellow racer.

A system, therefore, exists in Forza Motorsport that penalizes racers who commit offenses on a racetrack, like cutting corners or ramming racers. However, taking a few laps around the online races, gamers have noticed the FRR in Motorsport not working as intended.

The devs at Turn10 Studios have expressed that they are looking to improve FRR while working with some long-time competitive Motorsports players to gather telemetry from them directly.

While it is not expected that Forza Horizon 6 will include FRR, the online aspect of FH6 can be expected to include a penalty system like Forza Horizon 5, which has the potential to see some positive changes thanks to the updates in the FRR.

AI racers

The AI in Forza Motorsport has been criticized for delivering incompetent racing experiences to players. (Image via Turn10 Studios)

The devs at Turn10 Studios have expressed their knowledge of the situation that AI racers have been degrading the quality of races in Forza Motorsport. The issues include abnormalities like braking abruptly, following the racing line too strictly, hard braking on mild turns, and not accelerating out of exits.

An improvement in AI can be expected to make a positive impact on the upcoming Forza Horizon 6 title. This is because the drivatar system, which was already a Horizon series feature, can go through similar improvements thanks to the AI updates that Microsoft Game Studios are implementing.

The improvements that Forza Horizon 6 could be expected to offer

Game Engine

The ForzaTech engine in FH5 still delivers a solid experience, although in 2024, it starts to look dated after the release of Motorsport. (Image via Playground Games)

Forza Horizon 6 can choose from two engines available at their disposal. The newer ForzaTech engine in Forza Motorsport or the one featured in FH5. This choice can heavily impact the graphical fidelity of Forza Horizon 6.

The newer engine comes with some issues that have created negative sentiments in the fanbase during release. Turn10 Studios is steadily ironing these issues out. The issues in question include scenarios like consistent frame drops over certain track portions, lack of frame time stability, CPU optimization, and an innate anti-aliasing system that cannot be disabled.

The older ForzaTech engine, however, present in Forza Horizon 5, has started to look dated when put up against Forza Motorsport and, therefore, has a lesser chance of being used in Forza Horizon 6.

Better Progression system

The seasonal update in FH5 tried to deliver content steadily, but the lack of a progression system kept turning players away. (Image via Playground Games)

Taking notes from the progression system or the lack thereof in Forza Horizon 5, fans of Playground Games are expecting the addition of a progression system in Forza Horizon 6 that doesn't tread in the footsteps of Motorsport.

The incorporation of Xbox Game Pass with these titles essentially prioritizes the need for Microsoft Game Studios to make sure gamers invest their time well in the upcoming new title, which will dictate the success after the Motorsport fiasco.

FRR or Penalty system

The FRR system update in Motorsport could be expected to benefit both the Turn10 Studios and Playground Games. (Image via Turn10 Studios)

Even though a Horizon title might not be expected to offer FRR or the Forza Race Regulations system, the updates to the existing system in Forza Motorsport can benefit gamers as a whole.

This is because Microsoft Game Studios can use this new telemetry at their disposal to improve the penalty system that can maintain and enforce a clean online racing scene in Forza Horizon 6.

Eventlabs 2.0 on release

The Eventlab feature of Horizon has proven to be a key factor in keeping the game fresh with the incorporation of community with the game. (Image via Playground Games)

Eventlabs serves as the community playground where gamers and creators come together to engage with all the creative freedom that the game has to offer at their disposal. Eventlabs 2.0, featured in Forza Horizon 5, could serve as a definitive feature that could bring in more players into Forza Horizon 6, the next iteration in the Horizon series.

Eventlabs 2.0 saw some good changes over the existing Eventlabs feature in FH5, and the addition of it, as such, can serve as a strengthening factor for the relationship that gamers have with Playground Games.