How a small Warwickshire game developer changed racing games forever

-Credit: (Image: Reach Publishing Services Limited)
-Credit: (Image: Reach Publishing Services Limited)


In Warwickshire lives a small company called Playground Games. And from an unassuming office in Leamington Spa, they have changed the face of racing games over the past decade and a half.

If you don’t know Playground Games, they are the masterminds behind the Forza Horizon franchise. An Xbox exclusive racing game series, it took a brand new take on the genre that seemed to fulfil every petrolhead desire we weren’t able to verbalise.

You have to understand that for many who don’t have the money, space, or know-how to own and maintain a fun car, video games are a safe space where you can burn rubber, trade paint, and personalise vehicles in a manner only the wealthiest among us can experience.

READ MORE: 17 Video games you loved to play that were made right here in Warwickshire

They’re a mainstay hobby among the modern petrolhead, perfectly complementing trips to car shows, races, and maybe the odd museum exhibition. And to explain why this game series made in Leamington is so influential, here’s some context.

Racing games have been dominated by the daddy of them all - Gran Turismo. They are the gold standard by which most are measured. IGN described the first edition as “the grandfather of all modern racing sim” and since then, it continues to sit at the top of the racing game tree.

Its effect can be seen in the modern car world. Want to know why those beloved Japanese classics like Nissan Skylines, Toyota Supras, and Mitsubishi Evos are commanding such high prices? Demand from the Gran Turismo generation is a likely culprit.

Other arcade-style racing games have since come and pushed the genre forward. But by the time Forza Horizon’s first edition was released, it felt like we were in a slump.

Midtown Madness was over, Midnight Club and Burnout weren’t coming back, and Need For Speed was finding its feet after some disappointing titles. Then, in comes Forza Horizon.

While many racing games took a serious realistic simulator role following Gran Turismo’s example or leaned heavily into the street racing culture depicted in Fast and Furious films, Forza Horizon was set at a car-themed music festival and almost a wishlist of every petrolhead's dreams.

Rossmore House - the unassuming office where Forza Horizon games are made. There was a disappointing lack of supercars in the car park
Rossmore House - the unassuming office where Forza Horizon games are made. There was a disappointing lack of supercars in the car park

Hundreds of cars from Ford Transits to 200mph supercars, endless modifications, the freedom to crash and smash into the landscape around your or shred rubber at breakneck speeds. It was a safe space to do everything in a car that would either leave you dead, disabled, or imprisoned in the real world.

Then there’s the racing aspect. Weekly challenges and new cars coming along each week meant that you were continually engaged.

The Playground Games team did something that few racing games have managed to pull off. They built a product that kept you coming back for more.

Since then, others have hopped on the bandwagon. The 2023 game The Crew Motorfest has taken obvious cues from the Forza Horizon series, as has the new Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown racing game that released last week.

Open world, lots of events, big car list, and an innate sense of humour to the games. From a consumer’s perspective, the influence is clear to see.

While Warwickshire might be home to world beating automotive manufacturers, it’s also leading the charge in the virtual automotive space too. So far, the latest title, 2021’s Forza Horizon 5, has 40 million registered players.

It’ll be interesting to see which heights the groundbreaking series reaches next. And which other titles take its winning formula to new heights.