Forza boasts "long-term" Top Gear deal

By Robert Purchese Published 30 September, 2010

First fruits in Ultimate Collection in Oct.

BBC telly show Top Gear has signed a "long-term" deal to collaborate on all future Forza Motorsport racing games.

Jeremy Clarkson's motorshow will be integrated into future Forza games, and there will be "co-promotions" between the two for petrol heads to go batty about.

The first fruits of the Top Gear-Forza love-in will be evident in a new Forza 3 Ultimate Collection, which is due out on 29th October.

Said fruits will entail 90 minutes of edited Top Gear telly, access to Stig's Garage Car Pack - The Koenigsegg CCX, LEXUS LFA, and Mercedes Benz SLS-AMG - and an Xbox Live Top Gear theme. No way!

That Ultimate Collection of Forza Motorsport 3 bundles all of the DLC released to date. That totals around 500 cars to drive on more than 100 track "configurations".

Forza Motorsport 3 was released in October 2009 - 'this time last year', if you prefer. And Eurogamer bloody loved it - Oli Welsh explained why.

Exotic cars in Forza Motorsport 3. Racey.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds. @Clert on Twitter.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (44) Latest comment 2 years ago

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  • wizlon #1 2 years ago

    But does it have the top gear test track?

  • Boomerang #2 2 years ago

    It's not Jeremy's show. It was around before he was. It was Noel Edmonds' show :)

  • sonicyoda #3 2 years ago

    As a gamer, I do not appreciate all this mention of fruit.

  • tachometer #4 2 years ago

    I think Top Gear has jumped the shark now (not literally but I expect it next series).
    Jeremy is asking for so much money and with the BBC looking to save money due to the reduced licence fee it just doesn't add up.
    I reckon Forza is going to end up with exclusive rights to Richard Hammond and James May

  • SClaw #5 2 years ago

    Does it include cynical publishers spoiling a long running in-joke?

    Oh oh... I've got an idea for Forza! There should be a Clarkson voice emulator where everything you say into it makes you sound like a cock.

  • windowlicker #6 2 years ago

    Given how much money Top Gear makes for the BBC, I doubt that it will be going anywhere. Nor Clarkson.

  • photoboy #7 2 years ago

    It needs to have the Top Gear test track and the various cars they've used for their "Star in a Reasonably Priced Car" section. Plus it needs to have the leaderboards from the show so that we can race against their records. I really want to try smashing Tom Cruise's record, I still think there was something fishy about the way both he and Cameron Diaz managed to get top times, especially since the papers had pictures of the car breaking down when Diaz was doing her lap...

  • Madafunkola #8 2 years ago

    The biggest TV cash-in...



    ... In the world!
    /clarkson off

  • Grievous1976 #9 2 years ago

    Is simply gonna get Trounced by the Behemoth that is GT5! Im done and dusted with Forza 3 so this isnt really gonna cut the mustard in my eyes. Sorry Xbox Fans.

  • DoctorFraud #10 2 years ago

    Test track dlc incoming!

  • Mkwone #11 2 years ago

    So the top gear stuff is 90minutes of the best bits from top gear, 3 cars and a theme?

    As much as i like both forza and top gear, that doesn't interest me i'm affraid.

  • Benno #12 2 years ago

    all i care about is the top gear test track, make it happen

  • Psychotext #13 2 years ago

    Given the way the BBC works, it makes sense that both of the major racing franchises have access to Top Gear content.

  • aphexstwin #14 2 years ago

    still nothing on gt5 and kaz loves tg, i can see him throwing someserious weight behind what gt5 will offer tg fans.

    and this should have been available to forza2 as that was by far better than f3. still, keep trying to steal gt's thunder ms/t10.

  • DwarfyP #15 2 years ago

    Odd how the comments against this seem to neglect the fact Top Gear has been working with Sony and the GT series for years prior. Its just moving to Forza is all, the superior racing game.

  • darc #16 2 years ago

    I don't really see it as a Forza vs. GT5 thing either way, but I'm kinda with Grievous on this one. I just never bonded with Forza 3 - and I was a huge fan of the first two Forzas. For all the hype about all the improvements to physics, etc. I just find the game to be completely dull somehow. (I don't even really like the graphics so well - a little too over-saturated or painterly or something vs. the previous Forzas.) Maybe it gets better later? For the moment I'm having more fun w/ (the curiously under-rated IMO) Dirt 2, and I'm looking forward to the new Formula 1 title that's just been reviewed here. Maybe I need to stick to the more specialized titles vs. the one-fits-all releases. After Forza 3, I'm even feeling a little gunshy about GT5, as incredible as it sounds on paper.
    Edited by darc at 30/09/10 @ 16:15

  • Felwyn #17 2 years ago

    3 cars and videos i can find full length on youtube...great stuff.

    the 2nd of November can't come fast enough

  • mazzl #18 2 years ago

    so... no mention of the test track.... no test track... no buy

  • jammypea #19 2 years ago

    This sounds like a poorly thought out idea.....

    The BBC is a publicly funded body, and they own Top Gear.

    The BBC isn't allowed to do things that affect the private market negatively.

    If Top Gear are 'sponsoring' Forza, that puts GT5 or any other racing game at a disadvantage, no?

    This isn't going to fly....
    Edited by jammypea at 30/09/10 @ 16:19

  • Spekingur #20 2 years ago

    Top Gear is my religion. So this is good news for me!

  • aphexstwin #21 2 years ago

    no they dont sponsor forza and gt5p was first with the tg stuff. if what you say has truth then tg is going to forza because of gt5, not the other way round

  • DAN.E.B #22 2 years ago

    Stig as an unlocable character then you can sell out release a book and be quids in.

  • myk #23 2 years ago

    The thing I love about Forza 3 is that when you're playing with a pad you get the same feeling of the car through the force feedback that you do with a wheel - you know when you're about to hit the limit of grip, when you glance a kerb, when you plough into a barrier.

    The area where they could improve it is in giving the career mode more character, it just doesn't give you that much motivation to do races (especially when you hit level 50 and get all the cars you're going to be given).

  • Boomerang #24 2 years ago

    They won't be sponsoring anything, no-one's doing a fun run. The BBC are exploiting the crap out of TopGear's intellectual property just now (have you seen the amount of Stig-branded merchandice (god i hate that word) that you can buy just now??)

    So they licence out the TG rights to Forza and rake in some more cash. They do it with everything that someone'll buy, always have. Nowt wrong with that really, they are a business after all.

  • chibber23 #25 2 years ago

    Seems a little tacked on, as if it's trying to take the wind from GT5s sails, which of cause comes with the Top Gear Test Track, The Stig and I would hope the Reasonably Priced Car (if not all of the Reasonably Priced cars that have featured in Top Gear over the years). Compared to that kind of content I have no interest in the Forza stuff. I also hope the Top Gear TV shows available through GT5:p are available in GT5.

  • The-Bodybuilder #26 2 years ago

    I reckon Forza is going to end up with exclusive rights to Richard Hammond and James May

    Which, in truth, is what we all really want isn't it?

  • sanctusmortis #27 2 years ago

    No Test Track, no point.

  • bad #28 2 years ago

    To those people whinging about the license fee/sponsoring etc, it works like this:

    1) BBC make a program ie. Top Gear and it appears on your telly box in the UK.
    2) BBC Worldwide (the commercial arm) license said program for worldwide distribution and any other suitable commerical licensing opportunities (toys, books, DVDs, video game tie-ins) and hopefully make a tidy profit.
    3) The entire BBC Worldwide profit is reinvested back into the BBC to make more programs (and more Top Gear).
    4) Rinse and repeat.

    Top Gear is the single most profitable BBC program worldwide, the money brought in by such commercial licensing makes such high budget programming feasible (and all the interesting niche stuff that would otherwise be unviable) without having to raise the license fee to high heaven.

    Everybody wins.

  • GamesProgrammer Verified Games Team Programmer, Eutechnyx Ltd. #29 2 years ago

    they have already confirmed the test track in GT5 so im confused by what the point of this deal is

  • dupplawt #30 2 years ago

    best news I've heard all day.... in the world.

  • The-Bodybuilder #31 2 years ago

    @dupplawt

    It's been done.

  • Iain815 #32 2 years ago

    Shame Top Gear has been a bit shit these past 2 years.

  • LR100 #33 2 years ago

    Doesn't GT5 have the Top Gear test track and The Stig?

  • kingmong #34 2 years ago

    to echo most commenters, test track or gtfo.

    reasonably priced car thing would be cool as well

  • metalangel #35 2 years ago

    Test track or no sale.

  • Gromit #36 2 years ago

    I'd rather have Jeremy Kyle's Off Road Lada Simulator

  • Retroid #37 2 years ago

    JustSomeAtoms "Avatar in a reasonably priced car"

    :D

    You, good Sir, deserve a cookie for that genius.

  • Tippytappy #38 2 years ago

    The Top Gear test track is a timed GT5 exclusive.

  • Machiavellian #39 2 years ago

    Maybe it's me but there seems a lot of bitching but no real thinking. Forza 3 Ultimate Pack isn't going to compete with GT5 and it's silly to even come to that conclusion. It's silly to think that the devs for Forza 3 believe that a game thats pushing over a year will compete with GT5. Instead this is a cheap pack for 360 only users that contain some Top Gear content they could include but not really have to go out of their way for a completion pack.

    The key with the deal is that with Forza 4 (because we know it's coming) will include a lot more Top Gear integration just like GT5 thus eliminating that advantage GT5 has in Europe. When Forza 4 comes out, GT5 will probably be a year older or more and Forza might have something fresh to entice people getting bored of GT5 to pick it up.

    Just like someone said, it behooves the BBC to license out Top Gear and make that money so no surprises here.

  • raion #40 2 years ago

    Oh. Damn. And here I tought they'd have some fun stuff like the amphibious vehicles or any other "customized" effort from the bunch. Instead... yaaaay, three new boring cars and a theme, how exciting. It really embodies the spirit of the show, huh?

  • Machiavellian #41 2 years ago

    Machiavellian, the bitching is because people who already own Forza 3 will have to buy it again to have access to the new content. As it's exclusive to that package.

    Why is this any different from a game of the year addition that may have extra content outside of the DLC to entice new buyers. All the bitching complain it's nothing special and I am sure since it's only a limited amount of material, just something thrown in to get more sells. The focus is definitely not the Top Gear content so maybe I am missing something.

  • swissorc #42 2 years ago

    BBC comprises of two bodies btw. One of which is not run by licence payers money eg BBC international who gain profits from things such as magazine sales and dvd releases. Just thought some would like to know.

  • cen4pgb #43 2 years ago

    @Boomerang

    While yes Top gear started before him, in its current format it did not. Since it restarted it has most definately been Clarkson's show. Before and after reboot the show was radically different, having cars in it and Clarkson are the only similariies!

  • Harmonica #44 2 years ago

    GT fans are really sore that a new racer has bettered their favourite game in the space of three iterations. It's not surprising they take every opportunity to stick the knife in.

    "It needs to have the Top Gear test track and the various cars they've used for their "Star in a Reasonably Priced Car" section. Plus it needs to have the leaderboards from the show so that we can race against their records."

    These are all great and pretty much mandatory ideas. I would like stigs times for the test track if they put it in (which I guess is unlikely).

    This could be a good step to adding some soul to Forza 3 since although it's a fabulous game it's a bit sterile. But probably more likely in Forza 4 than 3.
    Edited by Harmonica at 01/10/10 @ 11:32