Developer Turn 10 delivers ‘eSports’ update for ‘Forza Motorsport 6’

By Brad Jones December 1, 2016

Forza 6 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Well over a year after the game first hit shelves, Turn 10 has released a new update for Forza Motorsport 6. Dubbed the eSports update, the patch adds some new functionality that’s intended to improve the viewing experience for players keeping up with competitive play.

A broadcast ticker option has been added to all multiplayer races, which can be toggled when a player is spectating on the action. The ticker gives up-to-the-minute positional data on all racers, updating whenever one driver manages to overtake one of their opponents.

This should make it much easier for viewers to keep track of the race as a whole, even when they’re watching from a particular driver’s perspective. Each competitor’s gamertag and their positional data will also be displayed above their vehicle during a race.

It’s clear that Microsoft and the team at Turn 10 are eager to make Forza Motorsport 6 a major force on the eSports scene, and it’s easy to see how functionality like this will make it easier for viewers to immerse themselves in competition between high-level players. Between this title, Gears of War 4, Killer Instinct, and Halo 5: Guardians, the Xbox One is amassing a varied range of exclusives that lend themselves to competitive play.

The update is just one component of the Forza franchise’s “ongoing commitment to eSports,” according to a blog post detailing its functionality published on the series’ official website. Qualifying for season 2 of the Forza Racing Championship recently came to a close, and the grand finals of the event are scheduled for December 11.

The eSports update is available now to Forza Motorsport 6 players on Xbox One and PC. The blog post announcing the update also suggests that more new features intended to improve online multiplayer will be added to the game over the next several months.

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Brad is an English-born writer currently splitting his time between Edinburgh and Pennsylvania. You can find him on Twitter…

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