Okay, so the racing game industry had always been dominated by the legendary Forza Horizon, but that just might change. And who really thinks about this shake-up? It would be none other than Gavin Rayburn, one of the principal minds behind the making of Forza Horizon at Playground Games.
It was in 2023 when Rayburn set forth on a new adventure-conceptualizing and founding Lighthouse Games. Now it is being said that this studio is busy developing a brand-new auto racing arcade game. Rayburn is not shy in proclaiming his targets-with the goal of innovating enough to overthrow Forza Horizon from its high perch.
Quite the bold statement; Rayburn seems to have some ground for his conviction, namely: the industry hungers for fresh innovations.
As Rayburn put it, I think the only constant is innovation. Do you have the innovation? There's always a chance for something new. Always: to bring something strange. [Racing games] are not like the shooter genre. There are not that many studios that do racing games. And when we look at the level of their production, we realize that there is a strong possibility to create something special here. This is my greatest inspiration: there are few of us in our field, and I am sure we can make a shift and do something great. And this is thrilling!
Perhaps even more significant, Rayburn insists that Lighthouse Games does not seek to create yet another Forza Horizon. If it were so, he reasons, he would still be at Microsoft working on a successor to that hugely successful franchise. Instead, the team is plotting an entirely different course: one that intends to forge something markedly unique and different.
And just what might this new game be like? For now, that's still under wraps. The studio is presently looking for able partners to help in achieving this grand vision; thus, while you're easily looking at several years until a release, the thought of a new racing genre conceived from the mind that really redefined modern arcade racing is indeed something of great joy. Making the race for the top much more interesting!
