The joint statement by game director Andy Beaudoin, creative director Chris Esaki, and executive producer Trevor Laupmanis outlines what players can expect to see in Forza Motorsport over the coming months, starting with Update 12 in mid-September.
There's a fair bit to get through and a dose of good news for all players, so read on!
Forza Motorsport New Circuits
T10 has confirmed that there will be two more new circuits added to the game this year.
The first track of those will be the returning Sunset Peninsula, a fictional course which hasn't been seen since Forza Motorsport 4, and which will be added in Update 13 in October.
In total there'll be five layouts available to drive including the infield club circuit, tri-oval, and a 2.78-mile "full" course combining the oval with an infield section.
Mount Panorama Circuit will also return to the track roster in December's Update 15. This will also include an Australian-focused Featured Tour.
Forza Motorsport Returning Featured Tours
One of the biggest complaints we've heard from fans is the short-term nature of Featured Tours, which stick around only for the duration of the current update, and being unable to revisit previous events.
Well, good news. T10 has stated that it will be adding selected series and rewards from previous tours to the Builders Cup permanently later this year. A number of new tours focused purely on race cars will also be added to the Career next year.
It's not clear which events will feature, nor what T10 plans to do about the reward vehicles from the tours that don't make the cut but it's certainly a good start in addressing the "FOMO" complaints.
Furthermore, from Update 12 and onwards, players will have the option to complete a certain number of races in Featured Multiplayer to unlock the reward cars that are normally obtained via the Featured Tours. Players will still be able to do the Featured Tours in Career Mode to win the prize cars should they choose to.
Featured Multiplayer will also receive a new Community Choice slot in Update 13, where the top 3 series that will return to Featured Multiplayer will be decided by community vote on the main forums.
Turn 10 will also add a Challenge Hub in Update 12, where you'll be able to win credits, cars, race suits and various other rewards by completing certain objectives. The new Challenge Hub is promised to have goals and rewards for everyone whether they play only in single player, multiplayer or on Rivals.
Forza Motorsport New Game Modes
T10 has also stated that it is in the final stages of reworking the Spectate Mode, and this expected to be released with Update 12 this coming month.
Features highly requested by fans and multiplayer league organizers include a dynamic driver list and lap counter, a broadcast ticker, new camera options, and improved optimization over the previous mode in Forza Motorsport 7.
Another highly anticipated feature that is actively being worked on is Drift Mode, which T10 expects to be available within the coming months.
Drift scores will be based on speed, angle and duration, but players must successfully "bank" their scores to count towards their overall points. This mode will be available in Free Play and Private Multiplayer, and players will also be able to set up Drift Meetups and tackle Drift Rivals.
T10 also plans to add public Drift Meetup lobbies to Featured Multiplayer in the future, and a selection of Formula Drift cars will also be available in the Showroom.
Forza Motorsport Feature Updates
T10 will be giving the media tab a complete overhaul into a Creative Hub, where your liveries, vinyls, tunes, photos and replays will be stored.
Similar to Forza Horizon 5, Share Codes for user-generated content such as vinyls and liveries is planned to be introduced in a future update. New search and sorting options will also be added to aid looking for specific items.
The Livery Editor will also receive a new Edit Layer Tool and bring the layers user interface more into line with the editor on FH5.
Free Play and Private Multiplayer will receive new weather customization options in Update 12, allowing players to set the type of weather conditions at the start, middle and end of a race as well as their probability.
There's plans to improve the Car Proximity Radar added in Update 10, with audio cues in the future as well as addressing fan feedback on features including tuning for radar distances. While not an immediate priority, T10 has said it plans to explore UDP support and additional HUD placements for the radar.
Forza Race Regulations are also set for more changes, with more frequent updates to improve quality, accuracy, and consistency in race adjudication. That will be enhanced with a new "advanced" ghosting feature in multiplayer to predict and prevent "popular" griefing incidents. The new ghosting system will be available in Featured Multiplayer, but players will have the option to disable it in Private Multiplayer.
We'll be sure to bring you more news on the latest announced features and updates when we get them.
