Chris Esaki appeared during the July 2020 Forza Monthly livestream to talk with host Leahviathan about the unveiling of Forza Motorsport during the July 23rd #XboxGamesShowcase event. Highlights:
Foundational work on tools and tech allows the team to build cars and tracks more quickly, at incredible detail, and scale up for high-end PCs and Xbox Series X but also support lower-end PCs.
Motorsport forward: The 'Motorsport' portion of the new logo is the emphasized intentionally, and the Xbox Games Showcase trailer shows off how you the player and your team show up in liveries on and off track. "Doubling down on motorsport." "We are going to be the most motorsport Motorsport we've made."
New audiences: Game Pass helps bring in a new audience to the community. The development team has the most diverse backgrounds in a Motorsport team yet. A focus on accessibility and inclusivity. Working directly with members of the community about competitive experiences in Motorsport.
Player feedback: The ability to create and change content quickly allows for faster response to player feedback. "I really think of the new Forza Motorsport as as love letter to our longtime fanbase as well as a big welcoming to potential new fans that may come in through things like Game Pass." "The team, especially me, has been spending a lot of time with our streamers, our content creators, understanding their needs around their streaming and their content creation and community and what that means. We've read every forum post, we're all over social media, we know every single feature and car request that have ever come into the Forza Motorsport universe so I think we're pretty in tune. And I think we're set up in a way now where we can really deliver on that promise of those features."
Ray Tracing: Ray tracing is coming to Forzatech (the engine that powers the game). A whole host of other technologies to improve visuals on cars and track environments (photogrammetry, new laser scanning) help support what ray tracing reveals.
Immersive connection: "That word connection means a lot to me and the team. When I think about this next generation I think that's the word that really defines it for me." Ray tracing allows players to connect to cars and tracks. Next gen is "really about building this welcoming home where you and your friends can have a great time creating and competing."
"We'll be sharing a lot more soon."
