When Forza Horizon 6 drops for real on May 19 (you can read our review in the meantime), you’ll be sent on missions by automotive photographer Larry Chen. But Chen isn’t just an NPC. He also worked with the development team to improve the game’s photo mode, and to ensure that Forza Horizon 6 itself did justice to Japanese car culture.
“I was able to connect the Forza team with my friends at Canon because I really wanted to help improve the realism of photo mode,” Chen told The Drive in a recent interview. “Canon has so much technical knowledge about optics, photography, and lens behavior that goes way beyond what I understand myself.”
“One thing I suggested was incorporating actual Canon focal lengths that photographers really use in the real world,” Chen said. “I thought it would help players better understand what it actually feels like to shoot with real cameras and real lenses.”
In addition to simulating the gear, Chen wanted the parts of the game he’s featured in—where he tasks the user to complete certain driving challenges in order to grab shots—to replicate the feel of his real-life photo quests shooting awesome cars around Japan. Developers can nail the behavior of a certain car from behind the wheel, but this was all about replicating the feelings of urgency and serendipity that are essential part of the experience between the shutter.
“One question that really got me excited was when they asked if any part of my work was time critical,” Chen said. “My answer was basically that everything is time critical. Especially in Japan, timing is everything. Whether it’s doing rolling shots, finding a clear street with less traffic, waiting for the perfect lighting conditions, or timing a flyby shot perfectly with the Shinkansen in the background, so much of what I do revolves around timing.”
“A lot of those real-life scenarios actually influenced the gameplay and missions,” Chen continued. “I was explaining situations I run into constantly while shooting in Japan, and they were genuinely interested in translating that feeling into the game experience. What impressed me most was how committed they were to authenticity. They really wanted this game to feel culturally accurate, not just visually accurate.”
Even as the game’s early access was just rolled out, players have already captured some stellar shots. Now, you know the secret behind them: