Extreme E joins forces with the Forza franchise for the series' first Official Gaming Partnership

As Extreme E’s Official Gaming Partner, the Forza franchise has the official license to the Extreme E ODYSSEY 21 e-SUV and access to the team liveries competing in Extreme E Season 2. Extreme E will showcase Forza Horizon 5 on Xbox consoles at all events, offering game play to race teams, drivers and VIP guests while on-site at races.

Beginning on July 19, Forza Horizon 5 players will be able to get behind the wheel of Extreme E’s ODYSSEY 21 for Series 10 of Horizon Mexico, experiencing four weeks of unmissable racing action on the Festival Playlist.

Ali Russell, Chief Marketing Officer at Extreme E, said: “This partnership between Extreme E and the Forza franchise has brought the Championship to a new platform and audience. It has been great to work together to bring the Extreme E ODYSSSEY 21 e-SUV to Forza Horizon 5 players who are enthusiastic about electric vehicles. We are excited for more people to see what electric vehicles are capable of and showcase the series in a new light.

“Turn 10 and the rest of the team behind the Forza games have worked hard to make this game as authentic and accessible as possible. Being a part of the largest and most comprehensive Horizon game so far is incredible for our Championship, and gives Forza’s audience an opportunity to get behind the wheel of our ODYSSEY 21s and experience the capability of our series first hand. We are excited to collaborate with such a forward-thinking group and look forward to seeing the uplifting impact on both of our communities.”

Players can check back regularly to complete new events and challenges to unlock unique variants of the ODYSSEY 21 which represent each of the ten teams currently competing in the 2022 Extreme E championship and gear up for the off-road trails ahead with Extreme E race suits. Not only that, but players can also look out for new Extreme E themed collectibles, billboards and race dressing as part of Forza Horizon 5’s Evolving World.

Another unique aspect of this update is how each season of the Festival Playlist in Series 10 is inspired by the real-world Extreme E race calendar with new challenges and Seasonal Championships taking drivers to different locations in Mexico every week where they can push the ODYSSEY 21 to its limit in Dirt and Cross Country races.

In the Summer “Island X Prix” season, players will be racing along the east coast by Playa Azul; Autumn brings the “Energy X Prix” to the city of Guanajuato; Winter accelerates the action to the “Copper X Prix” Canyon; and finally, the competition heats up for the Spring finale as competitors race through the “Desert X Prix” Baja in Dunas Blancas.

Launched on 9 November 2021, the latest chapter in the Forza Horizon series, Forza Horizon 5, is the largest and most comprehensive Horizon game to date.

Players have been getting behind the wheel and experiencing some of the most diverse landscapes ever seen in a Forza Horizon title, including a living desert, a tropical jungle, and a towering snow-capped volcano, all in an authentic and vibrant depiction of Mexico.

Racing through unique, remote landscapes – sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Extreme E travels to locations around the world which have been severely impacted by climate change. At each location, a host of world-class teams compete off-road in electric races with the aim of using sport to highlight some of the biggest environmental issues facing the planet.

Tanner Foust, Neom McLaren Extreme E, said: “It’s great to hear that two forward thinking and innovative groups like Extreme E and Forza are partnering to bring the experience of driving the ODYSSEY to more people around the world. I’ve been an Ambassador and Partner with Forza for more than a decade and am constantly amazed by the driving experiences you can have in the games. 

“The capability and speed of the ODYSSEY 21 will be something the Forza fans will absolutely love!"

Paavan Avadhanula, Turn 10 Studios Director of Partnerships, said: “We are very pleased to be the Official Gaming Partner of Extreme E, the leader in off-road electric racing, and have been collaborating to bring unique content to Forza Horizon 5.

“We are always looking for, and excited to bring authentic and compelling new partnerships and experiences to our Forza community, and look forward to seeing how our players engage with these electric vehicles, race suits and championships."

Drive the Extreme E ODYSSEY 21 e-SUV in Forza Horizon 5 from July 19 and don’t forget to check back on the Festival Playlist every week in Series 10 where you can unlock unique team variants. Get ready to suit up for Extreme E by completing new events in the Festival Playlist and visit the Forzathon Shop every week to unlock the Extreme E race suits.

Forza Horizon 5 can be experienced on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows 10, Steam, Xbox Game Pass, and phones and tablets via Xbox Cloud Gaming. For more information, please visit the Forza website.

Extreme E:

Julia Fry, Head of Communications 
E: media@extreme-e.com / T: +44 7778 108754

Josh Bell, MPA Creative:     
E: jb@mpacreative.com  / T: +44 7557 102540

Diego Bustos, BE Mass Media (Latin America -including Brazil-, US Hispanics, Spain, Portugal)
E: diego.bustos@bemassmedia.com / +569-8829-9138 or +1-660-847-4645

NOTES TO EDITORS

About Extreme E:

Extreme E is a radical new racing series, which will see electric SUVs competing in extreme environments around the world which have already been damaged or affected by climate and environmental issues. The five-race global voyage highlights the impact of climate change and human interference in some of the world’s most remote locations and promotes the adoption of electric vehicles in the quest for a lower carbon future for the planet.  

To minimise local impact, Extreme E races will not be open to spectators, with fans instead invited to follow the action through live TV broadcast, and on social media. 

The St. Helena, a former passenger cargo ship, has undergone a multi-million Euro refit to minimise emissions and transform her into Extreme E’s operations hub. The ship will be used to transport the championship’s freight and infrastructure, including vehicles, to the nearest port, minimising Extreme E’s footprint, as well as being used to facilitate scientific research through its on-board laboratory.

Extreme E is also pioneering hydrogen fuel cell technology which will enable its race fleet to be charged using zero emission energy. This innovative solution from AFC Energy uses water and sun to generate hydrogen power. Not only will this process emit no greenhouse emissions, its only by-product will be water, which will be utilised elsewhere on-site. 

Extreme E Season 2 Calendar:  

Neom, Saudi Arabia 
19-20 February 2022 

Sardinia, Italy  
06-07 July 2022 

Sardinia, Italy 
09-10 July 2022 

Antofagasta, Chile 
24-25 September 2022 

Punta del Este, Uruguay  
26-27 November 2022 

About NEOM: NEOM is an accelerator of human progress and a vision of what a New Future might look like. It is a region in northwest Saudi Arabia on the Red Sea being built from the ground up as a living laboratory – a place where entrepreneurship will chart the course for this New Future. It will be a destination and a home for people who dream big and want to be part of building a new model for exceptional livability, creating thriving businesses and reinventing environmental conservation.

NEOM will include hyperconnected, cognitive towns and cities, ports and enterprise zones, research centers, sports and entertainment venues and tourist destinations. As a hub for innovation, entrepreneurs, business leaders and companies will come to research, incubate and commercialize new technologies and enterprises in groundbreaking ways. Residents of NEOM will embody an international ethos and embrace a culture of exploration, risk-taking and diversity.

For further information email media@neom.com or visit www.neom.comand www.neom.com/en-us/newsroom

About ENOWA: ENOWA is a world-class energy, water and hydrogen company founded in NEOM, Saudi Arabia. ENOWA produces and delivers clean and sustainable resources for industrial and commercial applications using a customer-centric smart and connected system, designed to be circular and takes advantage of NEOM's optimal solar and wind energy profile. ENOWA benefits from NEOM's greenfield site, which has no legacy infrastructure, to advance Energy, Water, and Hydrogen innovation.

ENOWA will act as a catalyst and incubator for developing new, sustainable energy and water businesses while creating a robust economic sector regionally. Through its commitment to renewable energy and efficient water management, ENOWA seeks to become a global reference for industry leaders and setting a benchmark for sustainable economic circular systems around the world.

About Continental Tyres: Founding Partner and Official Tyre Partner 

Continental develops pioneering technologies and services for sustainable and connected mobility of people and their goods. Founded in 1871, the technology company offers safe, efficient, intelligent, and affordable solutions for vehicles, machines, traffic and transportation. Continental generated preliminary sales of €37.7 billion in 2020 and currently employs more than 235,000 people in 58 countries and markets. In 2021, the company celebrates its 150th anniversary.

The Tires business area has 24 production and development locations worldwide. Continental is one of the leading tire manufacturers with more than 56,000 employees and posted preliminary sales of €10.2 billion in 2020 in this business area. Continental ranks among the technology leaders in tire production and offers a broad product range for passenger cars, commercial and special-purpose vehicles as well as two-wheelers. Through continuous investment in research and development, Continental makes a major contribution to safe, cost effective and ecologically efficient mobility. The portfolio of the Tires business area includes services for the tire trade and fleet applications, as well as digital management systems for tires.

About CBMM: Founding Supplier

CBMM is the world leading supplier of niobium products and technology. Headquartered in Brazil, with offices and subsidiaries in China, Netherlands, Singapore, Switzerland and the United States. CBMM offers technical innovation to customers around the globe through a team of over 2,000 highly trained, dedicated professionals providing cutting-edge niobium products and technology to over 400 clients in around 40 countries.

About LuisaViaRoma:

Defined by the Financial Times as “A haven for directional fashion,” LUISAVIAROMA.COM is the top online luxury fashion destination with 5,000,000 visitors per month and worldwide shipping. With each new season, the website presents the collections of more than 600 established designers and young emerging talents.

About Zenith: Official Timekeeper and Founding Partner

Zenith exists to inspire individuals to pursue their dreams and make them come true – against all odds. Since its establishment in 1865, Zenith became the first watch manufacture in the modern sense of the term, and its watches have accompanied extraordinary figures that dreamt big and strived to achieve the impossible – from Louis Blériot’s history-making flight across the English Channel to Felix Baumgartner’s record-setting stratospheric free-fall jump. Zenith is also highlighting visionary and trailblazing women – past and present – by celebrating their accomplishments and creating in 2020 its first-ever collection dedicated entirely to them, Defy Midnight. 

With innovation as its guiding star, Zenith features exceptional in-house developed and manufactured movements in all its watches. Since the creation of the El Primero in 1969, the world’s first automatic chronograph calibre, Zenith has gone on to master fractions of the second with the Chronomaster Sport and its 1/10th of a second precision and the DEFY 21 with a precision of 1/100th of a second. Zenith has been shaping the future of Swiss watchmaking since 1865, accompanying those who dare to challenge themselves and break barriers. The time to reach your star is now.

About Allianz: Founding Partner and Official Insurance Partner

The Allianz Group is one of the world's leading insurers and asset managers with more than 100 million private and corporate customers in more than 70 countries. Allianz customers benefit from a broad range of personal and corporate insurance services, ranging from property, life and health insurance to assistance services to credit insurance and global business insurance. Allianz is one of the world’s largest investors, managing around 790 billion euros on behalf of its insurance customers. Furthermore, our asset managers PIMCO and Allianz Global Investors manage 1.7 trillion euros of third-party assets. Thanks to our systematic integration of ecological and social criteria in our business processes and investment decisions, we are amongst the leaders in the insurance industry in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index. In 2020, over 150,000 employees achieved total revenues of 140 billion euros and an operating profit of 10.8 billion euros for the group.

About Vodafone Business: Official Technology and Communication Partner
With expertise in connectivity, global scale and the leading IoT platform, Vodafone Business is a leading technology communications company helping organisations succeed in a digital world and keeping society connected. Vodafone’s purpose is to connect for a better future, enabling an inclusive and sustainable digital society, and many of its solutions have sustainability and inclusivity embedded.

Unique in its scale as the largest pan-European and African technology communications company, Vodafone transforms the way we live and work through its innovation, technology, connectivity, platforms, products and services. Vodafone operates mobile and fixed networks in 21 countries, and partners with mobile networks in 52 more.  As of 31 December 2021, they had over 300m mobile customers, more than 28m fixed broadband customers and over 22m TV customers.

This collaboration will see Vodafone Business leading innovations and capabilities such as 5G, MPN, IOT and MEC, integrated into Extreme E’s global operations and will include full involvement in the purpose- driven elements of the series, with special prominence on Extreme E’s Legacy Programmes and the Science Laboratory on board the St Helena.Through its IOT solutions, Vodafone Business is helping sustainability efforts, including agriculture, forestation and decarbonisation of energy grids.

Find out more on http://www.Vodafone.com/business  and follow Vodafone on its social media channels:
Twitter: @VodafoneGroup
LinkedIn:  www.linkedin.com/company/vodafone

About Neat Burger: Official Plant-based Partner

Neat Burger is the first of its kind – the planet-friendly, plant-based, full-flavoured game-changer the world has been waiting for. The world’s first plant-based sustainable burger chain, Neat Burger offers a menu that appeals to not only those who follow plant-based diets, but anyone, meat-eaters included, who wants to eat delicious meat-free dishes that are more sustainable, healthier and ethical. The brand is backed by seven-time FIA Formula One World Champion Lewis Hamilton, in collaboration with hospitality organisation The Cream Group and investors, as well as UNICEF Ambassador and early backer of Beyond Meat Tommaso Chiabra.

Neat Burger opened its first site in September 2019, just off Regent Street in London, and its second and third dine-in outlets at Camden Market and Soho in 2020. Plans for global expansion across Europe, the US and Middle East are already in place for 2021 and beyond.

About EY: Official Innovation Partner

EY is a global leader in assurance, tax, strategy, transaction and consulting services. The insights and quality services we deliver help build trust and confidence in the capital markets and in economies the world over. We develop outstanding leaders who team to deliver on our promises to all of our stakeholders. In so doing, we play a critical role in building a better working world for our people, for our clients and for our communities.

EY refers to the global organization, and may refer to one or more, of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. Information about how EY collects and uses personal data and a description of the rights individuals have under data protection legislation are available via ey.com/privacy. For more information about our organization, please visit ey.com.

This news release has been issued by EYGM Limited, a member of the global EY organization that also does not provide any services to clients.

About INTERprotección: Official Insurance Broker

INTERprotección is composed of a group of Mexican insurance, reinsurance and surety bond brokerage companies. With global presence and recognition, INTERprotección has more than 40 years of experience in management and comprehensive risk consulting in the Mexican market. Its business model is focused on bringing the client to the forefront and offering them the best service through innovative and disruptive products, more recently with its new brand ​inter.mx,​ its insurance digital platform that is transforming the insurtech game. Follow INTERprotección on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter ​@I​NTERproteccion

About Enel X Way: Official Smart Charging Partner

Enel X Way is the Enel Group's new global business line entirely dedicated to electric mobility. Currently, Enel X Way manages approximately 320,000 charging points, both directly and through interoperability agreements in place worldwide1. As a global platform for e-mobility, the company is focused on developing flexible charging technologies and solutions to improve the customer experience by supporting the electrification of transport for consumers, businesses, cities and public administrations

Find out more on https://enelxway.it/en/home and follow Enel X Way on its social media channels:

LinkedIn:  Enel X Way

Twitter: @enelxway

Instagram: @enelxway 

Facebook: @enelxway

¹ Public and private charging points, including points of interoperability.