It’s been a fascinating rise to the top for Forza Motorsport. It is one of the biggest names in motorsports video gaming, and it continues to bring on new generations of players each time it releases a new installment. In October 2023, Forza will aim to continue the mammoth success of this franchise, which has spanned multiple decades, with Turn 10 Studios and XBOX combining their finest minds for this landmark chapter of the game. 

The Current Competition

It will be tough to dislodge some of the top eSports games at the top of their perch. Looking at the prize pools for some of the world’s biggest Dota and Counter-Strike 2 tournaments, motorsports still has much catching up to do. Counter-Strike 2 is an excellent example of a game that needs to look ahead instead of behind. There’s a considerable, core, and loyal fanbase for Counter-Strike, due to the phenomenal success of CS: GO (Counter-Strike: Global Offensive). 

However, Valve, the developers of Counter-Strike 2, have heralded the latest installment as the most significant advance the game has ever made. These advances and dedication to innovation have caused the first-person shooter series to become a global success. As the eSports tournament that underpins it continues growing, it’s also fuelling the growth of other markets, such as the gambling market. 

Although eSports has a well-established gambling market, Counter-Strike has grown into its own over the last few years and now has a seat at the table alongside some of the other biggest eSports gambling markets. You can see just how big the Counter-Strike 2 market is by taking a quick look at the available markets here https://thunderpick.io/en/esports/cs2-betting – with more Counter-Strike 2 markets being added as the tournaments continue to grow in stature. 

Forza Motorsport 8 should take note of the success of the gambling market that Counter-Strike and Dota 2 have. This is the sort of activity you want to see in a successful eSports league because a busy gambling market further ignites interest. As long as you have the ability to generate profit in different avenues because of the monumental success of the product that underlies it, this is the hallmark of a successful video game. So it could be interesting if Forza’s gambling markets can generate the revenue we see in Counter-Strike. Still, the game, the essential product, must also be of premium quality. 

The Current Landscape Of Motorsports eSports

Games like Fortnite and Counter-Strike command more significant market shares, more audience, and large prize pools. However, a groundbreaking volume of Forza could bring casual gamers on board. While motorsports games will always have a die-hard set of ultra fans, and the eSports market is burgeoning, if this game can capture the imagination of professional and casual video gamers, it could result in a considerable upsurge in motorsports eSports tournaments.

There’s enough popularity for motorsports globally to help facilitate this transition. For example, in Europe, the popularity of Formula 1 is putting other minor classes of racing in jeopardy. However, momentum could change if a game can bring even a small percentage of these people to video gaming and enact a switch in eSports tournaments. Still, there does need to be a significant switch in the rhetoric.

Can Forza Motorsport 8 Push The Boundary?

The developers recently announced that the game would “push the boundaries of realism.” There are high hopes within the gaming world that Forza could be the game that propels motorsports as a legitimate contender to some of the world’s biggest games and eSports tournaments. However, with the bar set so high, and games like Counter-Strike continuing to pioneer in eSports, it is a tough ask. 

There’s a whole series of promises from the developers that this game will be a unique chapter in the dynasty of Forza Motorsport. While all games promise significant developments before they release, it does feel as though something special is brewing in the air for Forza. It’ll be crunch time when this game is released because if the product is as groundbreaking as it’s being touted, it could flourish into a big market in eSports – which is continuing to snowball. 

It’ll have to do a lot to uproot some of the most profitable games in the industry. One significant battle it faces is the unity and solidarity that many of these other teams have, such as Dota 2, Fortnite, and Counter-Strike. However, there’s no reason Forza can’t join the ranks and become one of the big team games. The multi-player mode on Forza has always been a strong aspect of the game, and you’d imagine they’ll keep this in place and build on top of it to make Forza Motorsport 8 the best installment to date.