Playground Games

Is Microsoft about to acquire Playground Games? Mere hours out from the company’s pre-E3 presentation, almost all signs point to yes.

Playground Games has revealed that it is soon going to be working on more than just the Forza Horizon series. As reported by industry experts GamesIndustry.biz, the studio is currently carrying out work on something known as “Project 2”.

Following the launch of the weighty Hot Wheels Expansion for Forza Horizon 3, Playground Games has released a significant update for the PC version of the game, introducing welcome changes to players running the game on lower specifications.

Forza Horizon 3 has been a marvel for both the Xbox and Forza brands since releasing last year. The open world racer raked in a number of awards after its initial reveal at E3, and has gone on to receive not only the title of “Best Sports/Racing Game” of 2016 and the D.I.C.E “Racing Game of the Year”, but has also breached the Top 10 best-selling games in the UK — quite the number of accolades for the franchise.

The Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences (AIAS) has announced the winners of the prestigious 20th D.I.C.E. Awards. A total of 24 awards were granted to various titles that formed the gaming landscape last year, one of which went to the widely-acclaimed Forza Horizon 3.

2016 is drawing to a close. For some, it’s a time to reflect on the last twelve months. For the entertainment industries, it means awards season. We understand — we’ve even got our own GTPlanet Awards coming up — and for gaming, one of the bigger events of the year is the imaginatively-named Game Awards.

While it’s never the wisest idea to cheat one’s way to victory in an online-dependent game of any nature for fear of gross imbalances, Turn 10 have announced in the latest Week in Review that action is being taken against PC players, permanently banning them from what is arguably the backbone of Horizon 3 itself: online play.

https://www.twitch.tv/slipztrem/v/91686186

Buried within the press release that accompanied the launch of the Forza Racing Championship last week, Microsoft revealed some interesting numbers about the franchise’s fanbase.

Photomode. It’s a standard feature simply expected in racing games these days; a clever addition that allows players to showcase their cars and photography skills, while also functioning as free advertising for the developers. With the current generation of consoles making video recording a priority, it looks like budding videographers and photographers alike will appreciate the latest tool Playground Games is adding to the Forza Horizon series: Drone Mode.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTSUgXkfooA