Gaming Hype: Forza Horizon 3 Announced With Just About All We Wanted [UPDATED]

I was all but certain that when Microsoft announced that a new Forza game would be announced at E3 this year, that it would be a new Forza Horizon sequel.

I (and just about everyone else) was proven right at the Xbox E3 2016 press conference this morning when Ralph Fulton, head of Playground Games took to the stage to officially announced Forza Horizon 3.

Right off the bat it was revealed to the world that Forza Horizon 3 will take place in Australia.  I admit Australia was not on our list of places we thought Horizon would go next but I am pleasantly surprised with the decision.  When one thinks about the natural scenery and many different terrains down under its actually no surprise why Playground Games and Turn 10 Studios would want to set a Horizon game there.

In addition to making the game official it was also announced that Forza Horizon 3 will come out for both Xbox One & PC.  Thanks to the new “Xbox Everywhere” feature, gamers who buy Forza Horizon 3 digitally will be able to play the game on Xbox and PC.  Meaning you can play the game on an Xbox console, but if you a have to stop and say travel, if you have a capable PC you can sign in with it and pick up where you left off.

It only gets better from there. The team at Playground has enhanced the multi-player to make it even easier to join a party for online matches.  Oh, and 4 player campaign co-op will be available as well.

One of the biggest new features is Horizon Blueprint.  This mode changes the player’s role from being a participant in the Horizon festival to its boss.  You can create and customize events with the goal being to attract fans.  You can even hire (and fire) your friend’s drivitars!

I will get to go hands on with Forza Horizon 3 tomorrow so stay tuned for my first impressions and any updates.

In the meantime you can check out the official trailer and announcement below.

UPDATE: Now with screen shot gallery!  See below and then see trailer below that.

Forza Horizon 3 Screenshots:

Forza Horizon 3 Trailer:

Press Release:

Introducing “Forza Horizon 3” for Xbox One and Windows 10 PC, Coming This Fall

 

Last year, our team at Turn 10 Studios celebrated the ten-year anniversary of Forza Motorsport on Xbox. We’re proud of the community we’ve built since the early days, including gamers that have gone on to become professional drivers, livery artists that inspire us with their creativity, and the thousands of stories and photos submitted by our fans, just to name a few. It’s a constant reminder that the Forza community is passionate, diverse and going strong, with more than 11 million unique players on Xbox One. You have made Forza the best-selling racing franchise of this console generation and, along the way, you’ve helped create a place where car lovers of every stripe can share that passion together.

 

Introducing “Forza Horizon 3”

I’m thrilled to share that this morning at the E3 Xbox Briefing, we announced the newest entry in the Forza franchise, “Forza Horizon 3,” which arrives worldwide this September 27, exclusively on Xbox One and Windows 10 as an Xbox Play Anywhere title.

 

This time around we’ve taken the Horizon Festival to Australia, which has allowed us to create the largest, most diverse, beautiful, and fun open world we’ve ever built – twice the size of “Forza Horizon 2” – all powered by DirectX 12 and the latest version of ForzaTech®.

 

In “Forza Horizon 3,” you are in charge of the Horizon Festival. You have the power to modify race events, hire and fire your friends, and customize everything, from your driver character, to new body kits -even your own car horn sound.

 

As always, the car is the star in Forza games and “Forza Horizon 3” will showcase more than 350 cars at launch, including new vehicle types that introduce never before seen driving experiences to the series. Each car includes full cockpit views, working lights and wipers, and for the first time in a Horizon game, can be explored fully in ForzaVista™ mode.

 

As an exciting evolution for fans, for the first time in Forza’s history, “Forza Horizon 3” will offer seamless Cross-Play support powered by Xbox Live, linking players on Xbox One and Windows 10 together in the same game session. Whether its four-player campaign co-op or head-to-head multiplayer, Forza fans will have more ways to interact with each other than ever before as they journey together through the Horizon Festival.

Meet the New Cover Cars

Appearing on the cover is the all-new Lamborghini Centenario, which makes its digital debut as a “First in Forza” exclusive. We were honored to take part in the vehicle’s introduction at the 86th annual Geneva International Motor Show earlier this year, as well as host the vehicle’s North American unveiling in Los Angeles just before E3.

 

The Centenario is joined by the all-new 2017 Ford Raptor, the high-performance off-road version of the best-selling Ford F-Series. Our team has been thrilled to work with Ford Performance on the digital debut of both the first and second generation Raptor, which remain among the most popular vehicles in the Forza series. The 2017 Ford Raptor won’t go on sale in the real world until the fall, but fans in the Los Angeles area will be able to see the truck today on display at the Petersen Automotive Museum.

 

Forza Racing Championship

Last week we announced the Forza Racing Championship, our all-new competitive racing series, which will make its debut in Forza Motorsport 6” this summer. Since the earliest days of Forza, one of the cornerstones of the series has been competition. Our goal is to make the Forza Racing Championship the most inclusive racing experience in the world, no matter if you’re just getting started in Forza or you’re one of the best virtual racers in the world. Look for more details on the Forza Racing Championship in the near future. Stay tuned to ForzaMotorsport.net, as we’ll be sharing more details on the Forza Racing Championship in the near future.

 

No matter how you enjoy experiencing Forza games, I’d like to thank you for being a part of the community and continuing to inspire all of us at Turn 10. With the upcoming launch of the Forza Racing Championship and the release of “Forza Horizon 3” this fall, we’ve got a busy year ahead and we hope you’re as excited to be a part of it as we are to bring it you. Stay tuned for more Forza news throughout the summer and beyond. As always, thanks for coming along for the ride.

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