2023 started on a sad note for the car community with the untimely death of Ken Block, the Hoonigan co-founder and legendary rally driver best known for torturing tyres in his viral Gymkhana videos.
Not only was he a renowned rally driver and car culture influencer, but he also had a huge impact on racing games. Many gamers were introduced to Ken Block in Codemasters’ DiRT 2. His Hoonigan cars have also appeared in Forza Horizon.
In honour of the Ken Block, Playground Games has sent themed items to all players as free gifts.
Free Ken Block items for all Forza Horizon 5 players
Playground Games has sent all Forza Horizon 5 players Ken Block’s famous 1965 Ford ‘Hoonigan Mustang along with a Ken Block racing suit and helmet for player avatars.
To redeem these items, head over to the Message Center and select Gifts where you’ll find the Hoonigan Mustang and clothing items.
March Series update to honour Ken Block
Playground Games is also putting together a special tribute video to honour Ken Block in the next Forza Monthly this week and is inviting fans to share their Ken Block or Hoonigan-related videos or images to be included in the video.
"The loss of Ken Block is felt deeply by the Forza team, and we know the Forza community includes many of his fans," Playground Games wrote on Twitter.
"We want to put together a tribute video in his honour on behalf of Forza and the community to share on the next Forza Monthly. If you'd like to share your Ken Block and Hoonigan content with the team, Playground has asked that you post them on your social media pages using the hashtag #ForzaKB.”
In addition, Playground Games also confirmed that the March Series update will pay homage to Ken Block with special themed content including:
- Player Badge featuring #43
- Ken Block-inspired Accolade objectives
- Hoonigan cars featured in Festival Playlist events
- New Forza LINK chat phrase: "Go fast risk every thang"
- Seasonal Championship with the returning 2016 Hoonigan Gymkhana 9 Ford Focus RS RX reward car
Before the March Series update, February's Japanese Automotive Series will be revealed in this week's Let's Go! stream on Thursday 26 February.
A teaser for the stream confirms the 2023 Nissan Z will be a new reward car, while a new location possibly provides a first look at Forza Horizon 5 Expansion Two.