Xbox's Developer_Direct has come and gone, and with it the latest look at Forza Motorsport.
We got a lot of information about the game, from the number of cars to the locations we will be racing in. But there was something that was lacking. It was so clearly lacking that despite all the impressive talk from Turn 10 Studios we can't help but be a bit worried by Forza Motorsport.
That thing was gameplay. Actual, raw, gameplay. For all the big talk about graphics, detail, and dirt, there wasn't a single frame of the game players are waiting to get their hands on.
Turn 10's hidden problem
The Developer_Direct was a chance for Turn 10 Studios to push the story of Forza Motorsport forward and give fans & on-the-fence gamers a look at what they can play.
The six-and-a-half minutes Turn 10 had to show off were well used. There was big talk about cutting-edge visuals, incredible soundscapes, and the dynamic world they have created.
It all looked great, but the lack of actual game footage is a huge worry for players.
There was just a passing mention of a "all-new, car building focused single-player" and online racing but nothing else beyond that.
Where's the gameplay?
Forza Motorsport was announced in the summer of 2020 as in early development. That made the lack of updates understandable, but since the middle of 2022 Xbox has been pushing Forza Motorsport hype hard.
At the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase in June 2022, Forza Motorsport got a big trailer and a "Spring 2023" release window.
That led to a lot of excitement for Developer_Direct, assuming it would be the truly grand reveal ahead of an impending release date. That is not what we got.
Instead, Forza Motorsport was the only game at Developer_Direct to not announce a release date. Worse still, the spring part of the release window was dropped.
Turn 10 offered up a plate full of buzzwords and grand statements about leaps forward, best evers, and huge detail on the in-game environment, but nothing about the game.
There were no in-game menus, no navigation to the track, no garages, no showrooms, or even actual racing to be seen.
It left a lot of fans feeling rather empty and worried about the game.
The potential delay from spring to just "2023" and the lack of clarity around the racing experience of Forza Motorsport is far from ideal.
Flashy graphics showcases are all well and good, but they say nothing about the quality of the game. With true sims like Assetto Corsa and it's GT3 sibling Assetto Competizione hitting consoles, and the huge level of competition on PC, it just isn't enough to get players excited.
Racing fans have happily lived with the dull graphics of iRacing and rFactor 2 for years because the racing is so good.
As Forza Horizon 5 discovered, flashy graphics might get millions of Game Pass subscribers to download the game, but they will quickly leave if the substance of the game isn't there.
We are officially worried about Forza Motorsport, and you should be too.