Microsoft has officially announced that Forza Horizon 2 will be coming to both the Xbox One and Xbox 360 this fall. Forza Horizon developer Playground Games will be behind the wheel of the Xbox One version, while Sumo Digital, who have worked on titles such as OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast and Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, will handle the Xbox 360 edition.
Set in scenic Southern Europe, Forza Horizon 2 will once again feature the open-world setting that made its predecessor such a fan favorite. The racer will also include the implementation of a dynamic weather system, as well as the addition of the Drivatar feature, which was introduced in 2013’s Forza Motorsport 5 and helps populate the game world with AIs built around the driving skills of online friends. The additional power provided by the Xbox One will also help Playground Games include hundreds of cars, with the 2015 Lamborghini Huracán being the headliner.
As a fan of the Forza franchise since its inception on the original Xbox, I’m excited to see that Microsoft is willing to improve upon the Horizon spin-off. The original was a ton of fun and was a welcome breath of fresh air from the more technical mainline series. And while the news of the title being cross-gen was originally troubling, the fact that different developers are handling each version is enough to assuage my fears.
Forza Horizon 2 will be launching for the Xbox One and Xbox 360 later this year. Hopefully we’ll learn more about the racer at next week’s E3.
