{"id":388900,"date":"2025-10-29T20:52:53","date_gmt":"2025-10-29T20:52:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.xbox.com\/en-us\/?p=160767"},"modified":"2025-10-29T20:52:53","modified_gmt":"2025-10-29T20:52:53","slug":"authentically-celebrating-the-culture-of-mexico-in-forza-horizon-5","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/authentically-celebrating-the-culture-of-mexico-in-forza-horizon-5\/","title":{"rendered":"Authentically Celebrating the Culture of Mexico in Forza Horizon 5"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When it comes to designing and developing the games in the Forza Horizon series, there\u2019s one thing that the team at Playground Games prioritizes over everything else: an authentic, open world. Cool cars and great music are certainly important, however, those elements alone are not what delivers an authentic Forza Horizon<\/em> experience. With past games set in Britain, Australia, Southern Europe, and Colorado in the U.S., the team set their sights on Mexico for Forza Horizon 5<\/a><\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n

From the start, the team took deliberate and intentional steps to ensure their vision of Mexico in Forza Horizon 5<\/em> is as close to the real thing as possible especially when it comes to celebrating the country\u2019s incredibly rich culture. \u201cOur goal for Forza Horizon 5<\/em> is to go beyond capturing Mexico\u2019s signature landscapes to giving players a chance to experience the country\u2019s people and traditions,\u201d said Mike Brown, Creative Director of Forza Horizon 5<\/em> at Playground Games. \u201cWe value the Mexican and Latinx community and want to ensure we are authentically celebrating the diverse community in the most true and respectful way possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

To assist with bringing this world to life, Playground Games hired a consultant named Lalo Alcaraz (a writer for Nickelodeon\u2019s “The Casagrandes” and Mexico culture consultant for the Pixar film “Coco”), to collaborate on the team\u2019s portrayal of Mexico, with his contributions resulting in changes to the campaign, characters, and overall depiction of Mexico. He played a major role in bringing the game\u2019s characters to life and bringing deeply important local customs to Forza Horizon 5<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a cultural consultant that can advise you on whether something is authentic or not, but then I can pitch alternatives on the spot,\u201d said Alcaraz. \u201cI can do it in the voice of the character because I’m also a writer. And that’s actually my favorite part.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alcaraz disclosed that he did his best to share equal parts reassurance and caution. He and the team put great care toward bringing Mexican authenticity to the game and land the playful and vibrant tone Forza Horizon<\/em> is known for throughout the game\u2019s art, music and storylines (such as the Lucha de Carretera and Vocho stories).<\/p>\n

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