Forza Horizon 4 will get its first expansion pack next month, which will take gamers to remote northern parts of the British Isles.
Xbox made the announcement during the XO18 event in Mexico over the weekend, which also included news about Sea of Thieves and Crackdown 3.
The first new map for Forza Horizon 4, the latest title in the hugely popular open-world racing series, is called Fortune Island and will be available on December 13 on Xbox and Windows 10 PCs.
Drivers will encounter extreme conditions including lightning storms, cliffside dirt roads and mountain switchbacks as they search for hidden treasure under the glow of the aurora borealis.
Fortune Island will be available as part of the Forza Horizon 4 Expansions Bundle, while owners of Forza Horizon 4 Ultimate Edition and Forza Horizon 4 Ultimate Add-Ons Bundle will receive Fortune Island at no additional cost. Xbox Game Pass subscribers who do not already own one of the bundles can get 10% off a bundle or 10% off an individual purchase of Fortune Island.
During XO18, Xbox also revealed that Forza Horizon 4 will feature all five of rally driver Ken Block’s high-powered, custom-built Ford vehicles from the upcoming GymkhanaTEN – his viral video franchise. Car Pass members have so far been able to drive his 1977 Ford GymkhanaTEN, F-150 Hoonitruck and 1993 Ford Escort Cosworth Group A, but will soon be getting behind the wheel of the 1965 Ford Hoonicorn Mustang V2, 2017 Ford Fiesta RS and 2016 Ford GymkhanaTEN Focus RS RX as well.
XO18 took place on Saturday and attracted more than 10,000 people in person as well as many more who watched the livestream on Inside Xbox.
They heard that the fifth update to Sea of Thieves – the shared-world adventure game that sees players take on the role of pirates – will be called The Arena. Available in early 2019, the new competitive mode lets gamers test their pirating skills in fast-paced matches against rival crews.
“Each match is a fun, frenetic and action-packed race to find treasure that brings together all the most exciting elements of Sea of Thieves – on demand,” Xbox wrote in a blog post.
The Arena will also include a new tavern area and trading company – the Sea Dogs – offering new goals, rewards and opportunities to progress to the status of Pirate Legend.
In other game news, Crackdown 3 will be released on Xbox One, Windows 10 and on Game Pass on February 15, 2019. Set in the near-future metropolis of New Providence, players control a bionically-enhanced agent as he attempts to take down a criminal corporation called Terranova.
A multiplayer mode entitled Wrecking Zone lets two teams of five players battle each other using their skills, weapons and equipment in fully-destructible arenas. Joseph Staten, Microsoft Studios Senior Creative Director, provided an on-air walkthrough of the 10-person player-vs-player mode – Agent Hunter.
Crackdown 3 will be an Xbox Play Anywhere title, letting gamers decide whether to continue playing on Xbox One or Windows 10. To celebrate the announcement, Xbox is offering the original Crackdown to fans for free on the Microsoft Store until November 30.
Horror survival game State of Decay 2 will get new content on November 16. The free Zedhunter Pack adds a crossbow as well as new melee weapons, facilities and other updates.
A trailer highlighted the 4K Ultra HD and HDR support that the Xbox One X will give to Battlefield V when it’s released on November 20.
In other XO18 news, Devil May Cry 5 will get a training mode entitled The Void; a new Just Cause 4 trailer was shown ahead of its release in December; Winnie the Pooh will return in Kingdom Hearts III on January 29, 2019; The Forge will be the first of seven new downloadable content packs for Shadow of the Tomb Raider; and Civilization Revolution, Final Fantasy XII, Final Fantasy XII-2 and Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XII will be enhanced for the Backward Compatible list.
Finally, Xbox announced that mouse and keyboard support will be launched this week, with Fortnite one of the first titles to benefit. Razer will create exclusive “Designed for Xbox” products and unveil its first creation at CES in January, 2019.
