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UPDATE 2: Studio director Gavin Raeburn’s Linkedin reveals that Playground is “currently working on an exciting, unannounced project for Xbox One,” too.
UPDATE: Playground’s mystery racer is an Xbox One title, vehicle technical artist Yibo Liu appears to have confirmed.
Liu’s LinkedIn profile currently references work on “an undisclosed Xbox One project”, and reportedly referenced an “undisclosed next-gen Forza project” during a previous update.
Forza Horizon 2 for next year, then? Thanks, ‘GAF.
ORIGINAL STORY: Playground Games, the studio behind last year’s open world racer Forza Horizon, is developing a “visually stunning”, “genre-leading” racer, according to job ads listed by the developer.
The game is referenced by multiple ads on Playground’s website, which ask for candidates who are “fanatical about cars and car culture, with an encyclopaedic knowledge of the auto industry… [and] a strong working knowledge of vehicle mechanics and car setup”, and with an “excellent working knowledge of, and a real passion for, the racing genre”.
However, the listings don’t make it particularly clear as to whether the title is intended for current or next-generation consoles.
“Working at senior level in a team of rendering engineers, you will be responsible for implementation of cutting edge rendering techniques,” reads an ad for a Rendering Engineer. “Engineers with in-depth knowledge of current-gen consoles are ideal for this role, as you will innovate on this technology to produce a visually stunning title.”
But whichever console the game’s intended for, don’t get your hopes up for it arriving any time soon.
A further ad, this time for a Vehicle QA Technician, suggests that the game may not arrive until late next year, stating that the team is “looking for an embedded Vehicle QA Technician to join us on a contract basis for a period of 9 to 12 months, starting in Q3 2013”.
Forza Horizon launched last October on Xbox 360, and left you so impressed that you rated it one of your top games of the year.
Microsoft has yet to announce plans for a sequel.
Microsoft will likely be looking at a 2014 racer to plug the gap between Xbox One launch title Forza Motorsport 5 and any potential sequel, and Playground’s experience with open-world Horizon gives it a headstart on the next-gen trend.
Source: playground-games.com
