The Xbox One rumour mill continues to throw out gems today, with NeoGAF user “ntkrnl” revealing in a new post that Forza Horizon 2 is currently in development for a September release. “ntkrnl” (claiming to be a Microsoft insider) has been on quite the streak recently; recent posts have declared that a new Crackdown game is in the works as well as a revamp of Halo 2 to mark the game’s tenth anniversary.
Forza Horizon was released in 2012 as a spin-off to Microsoft’s exclusive racing franchise. Focusing less on uber-realism and attention to detail, Horizon featured both street and off-road races set during the fictitious Horizon Festival where your driver competes in events to boost their popularity and claim the Festival Champion title.
The game was critically acclaimed, though a sequel hasn’t been discussed by Microsoft publicly. Car manufacturer Ultima, whose GTR is featured in both the original Horizon and Forza 4, sparked rumours earlier this year by announcing a new contract with Microsoft. Co-developer Playground Games has also stated they’re working on a Forza project for Xbox One, so it would appear that these claims have some grounding.
The insider also posted some small details about the sequel, stating it would feature a “super sexy weather system” and would run at a full 1080p resolution – a big deal, as many Xbox One games have been criticized for either running at 720p or upscaling to 1080p. The post also says that the open world setting of the first Horizon will return, providing a ton of social and co-op activities.
Sadly that’s all the information that this latest post has potentially unveiled, but it’s exciting nonetheless. Forza Motorsport 5 was released to lukewarm reviews, so this may be a good time for Microsoft to bring the more exhilarating Horizon series back. If “ntkrnl” is to be believed, we can probably expect to see Forza Horizon 2 officially unveiled at E3 in June.