The official Forza Horizon channel recently shared an extremely stylish picture of a Nissan Silvia S15 that was skidded, nicknaming it a “drift icon” and “rear-wheel rebellion.” What could be more incredible than that? However, the gamers’ comments turned against the game makers, who, according to the gamers, had been using the same car model from around…2005. Yes, you got it right. The gamers are asserting that the digital body of this adored JDM legend has been the same since the original Xbox and that they are really upset about it.
A user going by Goldie simply called it a “DOGSHIT MODEL FROM 2005,” which is… brutal but at least honest. Another user, Caleb Carter, replied to someone saying “Same damn model huh,” and the entire thread became a shouting match of people bickering about the car’s proportions being all wrong. It is just incredible what one promotional tweet can do, it can wipe out years of silence from the player community and bring up dissatisfaction.
And, of course, one would think that the players’ complaints are groundless and that they are just ranting without reason. But to be precise, they provide very specific details in support of their claims. A player even made a photo comparing the in-game S15 with a real one, and he said that the Forza version was “very inaccurate.” The line of the windshield is not correct, the body lines are odd, it is simply…
wrong. For a game series that prides itself on realism and having hundreds of gorgeous cars, it is a huge mistake to let one of the best models look so ancient.
But wait, the story has a twist! Amidst the uproar, a number of users are claiming that Turn 10 Studios, the developers of the Forza Motorsport remake, have actually admitted that they will be re-scanning the S15 for a future game. A user by the name of ActingRiot writes, “Love how people forgot T10 was rescanning the models and the S15 was the highlight,” while another user, Squirrel, states it is “Already confirmed for a rescan.” So the developers are aware of the issue and are supposedly working on a solution. However, this just makes the social media post even more confusing. Why promote the old, outdated model if you are already aware that a new one is coming? It is as if they are challenging the players or something.
The range of responses is a humorous mix of anger and despairing humor. A player named Ryan predicted, “Bet the ancient 3d model from the original Xbox will be used in fh6,” followed by a crying laughing emoji. Another user, Voidtale9710, simply posted a GIF of a dumpster fire. The mood is quite “we have suffered in the past and we are ready to suffer again.” That is a bit sad but also… understandable?
And this is not just about the Nissan Silvia S15. The whole drama brings to light the more extensive discussion of game development and asset recycling. User wrldddoftoast sarcastically pointed out the Forza Motorsport remake, saying, “oh you mean just like how the motorsport reboot was ‘built from the ground up’? lol, lmao even.” Thus, players are quite distrustful of the developers’ assurances, thinking that they have been told “we’re fixing it” before with mixed results.
Some comments went very far, as is usually the case with internet comments. One user demanded, “ADD A COROLLA XRS TO FH6 I FUCKING BEG YOU,” I kind of understand his point though. Another one, however, inexplicably, started talking about politics and asking if they were “going to get all democratic politics on us and put the mask and pronouns in the game again?” Like, come on, this is a digital Nissan post. Let us keep it professional.
Essentially, the major issue with one car model shows a lot about the car racing game. This is not a minor problem – if you are a car enthusiast wanting to play Forza, getting the car models right is the key to the experience. When the iconic drift car like the S15 looks wrong, it is like revealing the lazy side of the development, especially when the competition is constantly improving its visuals.
So what is the takeaway? Forza Horizon’s digital marketing team probably thought it was all about posting a picture of a nice drift, but they accidentally opened the floodgates for player complaints. The community is noisy, they are enthusiastic, and more importantly, they notice when the same old assets are being used over the years. The rescan announcement can be seen as a good sign, but trust from the players will come only when they see it. The comment section will then likely continue to be a marvelous mess of memes, anger, and very detailed requests for JDM parts. The interplay between game developers and players is always a delicate one, and the S15 case has shown how easily that boundary can be crossed. Sometimes a simple car post is not just about a car – it is a collector of all the community’s emotions over the years. And right now, the predominant emotion is very much… impatient.
