The next iteration of the high-octane racing franchise, *Forza Horizon 6*, is transporting its massive festival to the scenic, romanticized streets of Japan. A recent Xbox Developer Direct livestream indicated that developer Playground Games is embracing the country’s rich JDM and anime culture, specifically through the introduction of the new “Touge Battle” mode—a feature that appears to be lifted directly from the cult-classic street-racing series, *Initial D*.
Playground Games provided a quick overview, describing Touge Battle as a series of challenging, nighttime races held across winding Japanese mountain roads. The evidence of *Initial D*’s influence was unmistakable in the accompanying footage, which featured the iconic Toyota Sprinter Trueno AE86 expertly drifting through tight corners. The appearance of this legendary vehicle, driven by the manga’s protagonist, serves as a powerful nod to the foundational source material for car enthusiasts globally.
Adding to the spectacle, the stream contained a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it shot of what looked like a massive, full-scale Gundam robot. Based on the *Forza Horizon* franchise’s history of spectacular and outlandish showcase races—where players typically compete against everything except other cars—it wouldn’t be surprising if *FH6* challenges drivers to test their speed against this skyscraper-sized mechanized titan.