The next instalment of the Forza Horizon series will feature in-game murals taken from the real world.
Six artists submitted their street art for consideration after being approached by Playground Games. The team chose seven of their designs and recreated them in the game.
The murals of Mexico
When searching for locations for the Mexico of Forza Horizon 5, Playground Games noted the prevalence of murals and street art and wanted to represent this in-game.
"Once we saw these murals, we said we have to get these in the game!" said Don Arceta, art director at Playground Games. "We really wanted to showcase and celebrate the culture of Mexico."
Featured artists
The artists chosen to feature in the game include Farid Rueda, Senkoe, and Raul Urias.
Forza Monthly featured an in-depth chat with Farid Rueda:
"I am still happy with my participation in Forza Horizon 5. Especially because of the quality of the video game in the scenarios, the level of detail and realism perfectly imitates what can be seen in reality. Even my image that is used, It is originally based on a mural made in Colombia. It has been adapted with enough mastery as if it were the original. I cannot be more happy with the result."
Placing murals into the game
Don Arceta spoke about the challenges of placing the artworks. It's a tricky job to place artwork in games, apparently. Apart from being easy to find, these murals needed to be in environments which matched the original location.
Near the road and not too tucked away was the first requirement. The art team also looked at where the artists are based and placed their murals in the corresponding location.
They then needed to transfer the image on to the wall, considering the textures and lighting. Players will also see that the murals are weathered according to their positioning.
The Mexico of Forza Horizon 5
We're looking forward to exploring the world Playground Games have created for the new Forza Horizon game. From what we've seen so far, this will be one of the richest and most vibrant video games ever created.