Playground Games has revealed that it is soon going to be working on more than just the Forza Horizon series. As reported by industry experts GamesIndustry.biz, the studio is currently carrying out work on something known as “Project 2”.
Interestingly, the new project means that Playground Games has now doubled in size, containing over 400 employees. The studio recently acquired a huge 17,000+ square feet office, which will be hosting the newly expanded number of workers.
According to the post, the new devs have worked on the likes of GTA and Metal Gear Solid previously. This expertise will be used to aid in the development of a new “open world RPG”. Such a large scale project poses the question — what does this mean for the Horizon series?
Thankfully, it doesn’t look like too much will actually change. The expansion of the studio has been made specifically to aid “Project 2” development alongside the popular Forza spin-off, according to Develop. If the reports are true, it means the original Playground Games team will still be at the helm of a potential Horizon 4. If this is the case, it looks like the studio is going to be at the heart of Microsoft’s plans going forward, even outside the racing genre.
Horizon 3 has been a bit of a phenomenon, racking up yearly awards and still selling well in the UK. Expansions such as Blizzard Mountain and the Hot Wheels pack have kept the game in the spotlight too. It’s not a stretch to imagine Microsoft wants to give the team a chance to flourish outside of Horizon.
With the experience gained in the series, it looks like Playground is preparing to spread its wings even further. We wish the team well with its new efforts and can’t wait to see the future for Horizon and beyond.
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