Forza Motorsport 6’: Turn 10 and Ford team up to keep Xbox’s seminal racer ahead of the pack

Remember how the McLaren P1’s orangey hue became pretty much synonymous (along with Microsoft’s green, of course) with the fifth entry in Turn 10’s console-shifting racing exclusive? Well thanks to a collaboration between the Washington-based dev and car maker Ford, freshly announced follow-up Forza Motorsport 6 will careen into view alongside the new Ford GT supercar. Any snarkiness that one of Microsoft’s biggest exclusives will come plastered in Sony’s iconic shade of cobalt should be quickly quashed, however, as details reveal plenty to get hardcore racers’ engines revved.

The Ford GT, gorgeous as it is, won’t be the only ultra high-performance number from the car maker we’ll be skimming across the asphalt with in Motorsport 6. The F-150 raptor, the kind of off-road-ready pickup that Optimus Prime would drive were he human-sized and so inclined, will also drift into your virtual garage. Plus there’s the Ford Mustang Shelby GT350. This grunting, street racing monster would make the Flash’s eyes bleed.

“The F-150 Raptor The kind of off-Road Ready pickup that optimus prime would drive”

All three of these cars are deemed ‘first in Forza’ vehicles, with each of them making their playable debut in the franchise. “Working with Microsoft and Turn 10 Studios allows us to share our all-new GT supercar with an unprecedented global audience,” says raj Nair, Ford’s group VP of global product development. Nair relishes “giving fans an opportunity to virtually experience the beauty, thrill and innovation of Ford’s performance line-up.” Of course he does.

Motor boast
Dan Greenawalt, creative director at the game’s development studio, is equally gushing. “Just as Ford has pushed the boundaries of car technology in GT, Forza Motorsport 6 will embrace that spirit of innovation as our most technically advanced racing simulation to date,” he says, before teasing, “we’re excited to unveil gameplay at E3 in June.”

Fresh horizons
Forza got off to a rocky start on new-gen, with the XO launch title going down about as smoothly as a banana laced with sand and glass. Fans reacted, at best, lukewarmly to the inclusion of microtransactions, while in our review we lamented the general lack of vitality, speed and exhilaration that made the series’ name.

Forza horizon 2, however, managed to paper over the potholes left behind by 5. The Playground Games-developed spin-off sequel managed to take pole position against the likes of Driveclub and The Crew in a release window littered with racing potential.

Bold predictions will have to wait until the team is ready to reveal more, but with the tech in place thanks to Forza 5, the fan feedback since then, and the confidence boost of horizon 2’s reception as well as this exclusive Ford deal we wouldn’t bet against this next game leading the pack once more.