According to a job listing by Playground Games, the Forza Horizon team is looking for a level designer to work on the studio’s “next AAA game.” The incoming employee will “work closely with environment artists to create and iterate white box environments which prove core gameplay concepts.” Although Playground Games did not explicitly name Forza Horizon 6, it doesn’t take an expert to figure things out. Playground Games’ only project since its inception in 2010 is the Forza Horizon games. Not to mention, the only “other” game that the first-party Microsoft studio is working on is the open-world Fable game and it probably isn’t in pre-production. This could only mean that Playground is already working on the next Forza Horizon game. Don’t worry, this isn’t bad news for Forza Horizon 5. Before the record-setting launch of Forza Horizon 5 in November, Playground supported Forza Horizon 4 for three years. This would suggest that Forza Horizon 5 could get monthly support updates for just as long, if not longer. The fact that Playground is hiring more help means that a fresh pair of eyes will work on Forizon Horizon 6 in its earlier stages while the current team will handle Forza Horizon 5. In the meantime, Forza fans can look forward to checking out the next Forza Motorsport game later this year. Turn 10 Studios hasn’t confirmed when Forza Motorsport 8 will come out, but as the two studios have taken turns with their releases, it’s only natural to expect the latest Forza Motorsport installment before Playground comes out with another Forza Horizon game. Unlike Forza Horizon and its open-world tracks, Forza Motorsport is a closed-circuit racing experience that features fictional as well as licensed race tracks. As for Playground, the last we heard from a former developer is that the studio is struggling with its work on Fable. It will be interesting to see how the developers juggle big projects, including one that is out of their comfort zone. Playground is reportedly testing the first DLC for Forza Horizon 5.
