Highlights
- Forza Motorsport should take inspiration from Forza Horizon 5 and incorporate creative crossovers to attract new players and keep existing fans engaged.
- Adding classic cars from pop culture films like Christine and Bullitt would appeal to both longtime enthusiasts and casual players.
- Including cars from modern movies and shows, such as The Fast and the Furious franchise, could broaden Forza Motorsport's appeal and attract a wider gaming audience.
One of the things that’s kept fans coming back to Playground Games’ Forza Horizon 5 nearly two years on from its initial release is the steady stream of content for the game, and this can provide a template for Forza Motorsport. Even though gamers have only had their hands on developer Turn 10 Studios’ recently released Forza Motorsport for a few days, it’s likely that additional content for the title is already in the planning stages. Rather than limiting the game’s DLC plans to just new cars and tracks as would be expected, future add-ons to Forza Motorsport should focus on the same sorts of creative crossovers that have helped make its open-world counterpart such a success.
The no-nonsense sim racing genre may not lend itself to appearances from pop culture properties as well as Forza Horizon 5’s decidedly more freewheeling setting, but Turn 10 Studios still has plenty of options when it comes to adding creative content. By turning to movies like Bullitt rather than Barbie for inspiration, potential crossover content for Forza Motorsport could pay homage to classic cars from pop culture’s past and present. It could even help to introduce the long-running franchise to casual players who otherwise may have never considered trying a sim racing game.
Forza Motorsport’s Crossovers Could Pay Homage to Classic Car Films
While the open-world format of Forza Horizon 5 offers decidedly more opportunities for unexpected additions than the strictly regimented racing found in Forza Motorsport, that doesn’t mean the latter game can’t feature some genre-appropriate crossover content. Cruising around the tight turns of Germany’s Nurburgring racetrack in Forza Motorsport behind the wheel of a Hot Wheels car wouldn’t make much sense, but real-world cars from famous film and TV franchises could make perfect additions to the game’s grounded setting.
Adding cars like the 1958 Plymouth Fury from Stephen King’s Christine or the 1968 Mustang GT 390 from Steve McQueen’s classic car chase movie, Bullitt, would let players take control of some of film’s most iconic cars without detracting from Forza Motorsport’s sim racing styling. Forza Motorsport’s potential pop culture crossovers wouldn’t have to be limited to only including classic car films, though. By adding cars from recent movies and shows Forza Motorsport could give fans of Turn 10’s sim racing series even more vehicular variety and maybe even attract new players to the franchise.
Adding Cars from Modern Movies and Shows Could Broaden Forza Motorsport’s Appeal
For gamers more familiar with the cars featured in today’s biggest blockbusters than the hits of Hollywood’s past, including more recent franchises in Forza Motorsport crossovers could prove to be far more appealing. Some of the most obvious pop culture additions to Forza Motorsport’s roster would be the cars seen in The Fast and the Furious films. While 2015’s Forza Horizon 2 Presents Fast & Furious expansion saw cars from the films make their way to its sister series, they’d be equally at home on Forza Motorsport’s real-world tracks.
Given the traditionally limited appeal of sim racing titles to the broader gaming audience, including modern franchises in Forza Motorsport’s future DLC expansions could help attract new players to Turn 10’s nearly two-decade-old series. While someone who is traditionally a fan of arcade-style titles may not normally consider trying their hand at a sim racing series, having the chance to drive cars like John Wick’s 1969 Mustang could convince them to give the game a go. This could help expand Forza Motorsport’s reach and potentially turn some players into sim racing converts.
By taking inspiration from the creative crossovers found in Forza Horizon 5 and grounding it in the game’s sim racing aesthetic, Forza Motorsport can introduce some fun and fresh content to the otherwise straightforward racing series. This combination of some of pop culture’s most iconic cars with the realistic handling the franchise is known for could help ensure that players keep coming back to Forza Motorsport for years to come.
Forza Motorsport is available for PC and Xbox Series X/S.