'Forza Horizon 3' Sales News: Game Sold 2.5M Copies, Brings Franchise Revenue Above $1B
On Monday, "Forza Horizon 3" developer Turn 10 Studios announced that the motorsport video game franchise had exceeded the $1 billion retail sales as of December 2016.
There have been 2.5 million copies of "Forza Horizon 3" sold globally as 2016 ended, which pushed the franchise's record earnings to go beyond the $1 billion mark.
Turn 10 Studios head Alan Hartman said (via Xbox Wire) that there have been several factors that made them conclude 2016 with flying colors, including the fact that they reached up to 14 million "unique players" who participated in the "Forza" community through Xbox One and Windows 10.
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It has also been noted by the studio head that the participating individuals at the "Forza" online community totaled over three million every month and part of it can be attributed to the introduction of "Forza's" new eSports event known as the Forza Racing Championship where players can compete and win real-life prizes regardless of their acquired skill levels across the franchise.
Hartman also noted that according to the results from the NPD Group/Retail Tracking Service from November 2012 to January 2017, the "Forza" franchise remains to be "the best-selling racing franchise of this console generation."
Turn 10 Studios also quoted Xbox boss Phil Spencer commenting on the milestone, "Since the beginning, Forza has combined stunning graphics, racing's leading simulation engine, and an emphasis on fun and accessibility. With the Forza series, Turn 10 Studios has built the world's largest racing community. We couldn't be more proud of their success."
On the other hand, Polygon noted that Microsoft, "Forza's" publisher, actually have not had any stiff competition in the realm of the racing video game genre. The report pointed out that the franchise's closest contenders such as Sony's "Gran Turismo 6" was released in 2013 while Electronic Arts' "Need for Speed Most Wanted" was launched in 2012.
On the other hand, "Forza Horizon 3" was just released in September 2016 - a year after "Forza Motorsport 6" and two years since the launch of its predecessor "Forza Horizon 2."
