Games of the Decade: Forza Horizon transcends racing games
To mark the end of the 2010s, we're celebrating 30 games that defined the last 10 years. You can find all the articles as they're published in the Games of the Decade archive, and read about our thinking about it in an editor's blog.
In the world of racing games, this decade started with a death knell. In the first months of 2010, two excellent arcade racers were released: Bizarre Creations' Blur and Split/Second by Black Rock Studio (formerly Climax). They both flopped, miserably, and as a direct consequence both studios were soon shuttered. The arcade racer was dead.
This death knell was heard particularly loud in the UK, where both those studios were based and where racing games, just like real motorsport, run in the blood. This is the land of Project Gotham Racing, of Wipeout, of Burnout. It was a bleak time for that particular development community. Evolution Studios struggled on, but wouldn't last the decade. Criterion relinquished Burnout and accepted the life-raft of the Need for Speed franchise, but soon even that was gone and it was making vehicles for Star Wars and Battlefield games. Codemasters survived thanks to the Formula One licence and a hard pivot to the safer ground of sim racing, with its dedicated community. But where was the racing game for everyone? The racing game for people who don't play racing games?
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