Forza Horizon is one of, if not the most popular, racing game franchises ever, and it continues to shape the genre alongside other giants like Gran Turismo. But now, the first indication of what a new competitor is bringing to the table has been revealed and is being headed by no other than the former head of the Forza Horizon series.
Drive The World
Gavin Raeburn, former Head of Playground Games, left the studio back in 2022 and created Lighthouse Games a year later, in 2023. He soon revealed his upcoming AAA game and has since talked about it at length in multiple interviews over the years. He now leads a studio of over a hundred developers to create a game that could set a new benchmark for racing games, and its target is Horizon.
“There is one game really that’s the biggest fish in the pond and that’s Horizon. That’s the game we have to beat,“ said Raeburn in an interview with GamesIndustry.
While the title hasn’t been officially revealed, recent trademark filings all but confirm what it will be called. Lighthouse Games trademarked “Ignition: Drive the World” today and “Wonderland: Drive the World” a few days prior, with the EUIPO. We haven’t found these exact filings in the US, which isn’t uncommon given the studio is UK-based.
However, in 2024, Lighthouse Games did trademark “Drive the World” with the USPTO and EUIPO, something that went under the radar. This suggests the game will be called Drive the World, with Wonderland and Ignition as the main gameplay modes, or Wonderland: Drive the World or Ignition: Drive the World.
We know these are most likely the names because the trademark is filed under classifications 09 and 041 for games and entertainment services, respectively. The Goods and Services for both trademarks are almost identical in the important parts and only differ in merchandise-related terms.
Moreover, these two also share similarities with the 2024 filings, which is why we believe they are just as important despite being older. But does it reveal much about the game itself? Not really; that’s not what a trademark is for. These are filed to protect IP for specific goods and services, and they rarely include details about the nature of a product.
Drive the World is sure to be a title to watch, because it could very well beat Forza Horizon to the next big racing game. Gavin Raeburn co-created the franchise to beat Need for Speed in the early days, and he did it by Horizon 3. Things may have changed now, but he is still an industry heavyweight who is a cornerstone of the racing genre.
Source: USPTO, EUIPO, EUIPO (Ignition), EUIPO (Wonderland)
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Mudassir carries years of experience as a journalist and embodies that in his articles. His motto is "All great ideas come while writing." When he's not interviewing someone, he's on…
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