Forza Horizon 6 Keeps Cherry Blossoms Intact to Honor Japanese Culture

In the newly launched Forza Horizon 6, players can demolish nearly every sign, bush, fence post, and tree in the expansive open world. However, if you attempt to crash into Japan’s iconic Cherry Blossom trees, you’ll find they are indestructible. This design choice was intentional, reflecting the developers’ respect for the culture.

In a recent interview, the design director discussed the meticulous effort that went into creating an authentic Japanese environment for players to explore and interact with, while also honoring the country’s traditions and values. A prime example of this is the decision to keep cherry blossom trees unbreakable, along with the omission of certain temples and shrines from the game.

“Almost all trees in the game are smashable to ensure that traversing the world map is both fun and rewarding,” the director explained. “However, several tree types are not—like the cherry blossom trees—because they represent a significant aspect of Japanese culture. We also chose to exclude certain temples and cultural landmarks to prevent players from driving through places of importance.”

This approach may have been influenced by a previous incident involving another game, where players could destroy items in shrines, leading to backlash from Japanese officials. The controversy prompted a last-minute patch to restrict such actions.

Interestingly, after over 30 hours of gameplay in Forza Horizon 6, I haven’t noticed the unbreakable cherry blossom trees. I suppose I found them too beautiful to crash into and never attempted to do so. Now, I’m curious to see if I can find that one solitary cherry blossom tree to test its resilience.