It’s hard enough to design a groundbreaking racing simulation. And, it’s even harder to so when it’s so completely shrouded in secrecy that even the guys working down the hall can’t know what you’re up to. But, that’s exactly what the boys at Microsoft Game Studios managed to do.
Without any of us noticing, Microsoft Game Studios has come a long way toward building what looks to be the definitive driving sim for Xbox®. Recently, Design Lead Dan Greenawalt took time out from polishing E3 2004’s biggest surprise to discuss the theory and practice of building a great racing game from scratch.
Xbox.com:Forza Motorsport™ has been in secret development at Microsoft Game Studios for quite some time now. Tell us how the project got started. Who pitched the idea? When did you first realize thatForza Motorsport would be a reality?
Greenawalt: The stars aligned (and continue to align) to make this product happen. In a sense, the team was pitched more than the project. As individuals, the leads of this team had been publishing both PC and Xbox racing games for a few years, including RalliSport Challenge, Project Gotham Racing, and Midtown Madness®. All the while, a really passionate and experienced group was collecting, gaining expertise, and building relationships. In a sense, we had an all-star team before we had a field on which to play. Based on our passions and strengths, a racing simulator on the Xbox seemed right in our wheelhouse. Also, the Gran Turismo series had proven that a well-made and innovative simulator could sell millions on a console and even become a killer app.
Are you ready forForza Motorsport?
In the first year, we built a small team of 20 or so and began putting together a prototype. We really stressed the on-track experience. We wanted the game’s car handling, audio, and graphics to sell themselves. As part of the prototype, we also needed a vision and high-level feature list that would stand out from the pack. Just making a great simulator would not make a great game. We had to produce a game pitch that would evolve the console racing space and bring new experiences to our players.
As the only internal team in our studio, we wanted to come into the prototype review meeting and hit the ball so far out of the park that they’d have to redefine the term “home run.” We really burned hot to get that prototype done. Once we emerged from this mini-crunch, and we were able to claim the accolades from our management for the quality of the prototype, we realized that Forza Motorsport was really going to happen. In a way, that’s when the hard work really began.
