Likely as a result of their seemingly unassailable wealth, energy drink titan Red Bull have been given exclusive early access to Playground Games‘ upcoming Aussie-based open-world racer, Forza Horizon 3. Of course, we shouldn’t expect the in-game map to be a 1:1 recreation of the entire country, but it will sample all the best bits, showcasing the geographical diversity Australia has to offer. The developer has boasted a map twice the size of its predecessor in Horizon 2 (which was, by no means, a small game). Australia seems an appropriate setting for a racing game, given its rich history of motorsport and car culture.
“…we had to build it bigger in order to accommodate that diversity I’m talking about”, Playground Games’ creative director Ralph Fulton said, “because we not only have the Outback, we have the wine country of Yarra Valley [with] beautiful rolling hills, we have rainforest, we have the city of Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast which has great motorsport heritage. And of course we have the Great Ocean Road the beaches of the 12 Apostles.
“And we know they’re not where they are in Australia, but they’re where they need to be for this game so that our players can come to it, maybe not knowing a lot about Australia, and can learn about its beauty and diversity.”
Not only did Red Bull sample the game, they also released a healthy nine minutes of gameplay footage, which can be viewed below:
Perhaps among the most exciting features for Australian fans will be the inclusion of several Aussie production cars; among the impressive 350 vehicles rumoured to be available in-game will be several Australian models from the likes of Ford and Holden, both modern and classic.
“We haven’t just played the Australian card in terms of the environment, we’ve played the Australian card in terms of reflecting the domestic Australian auto scene as well,” Fulton boasts. “So we have some amazing cars, from the oldest Holden ute, to the 74 Sandman… right up to present day – we’ve got the final ever production utes from both Holden and Ford from this year.”