Steam may have just accidentally revealed an announcement slated for the upcoming Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase. A banner for Forza Horizon 5"s Premium Add-Ons Bundle had shown off, for a short time, a brand-new Hot Wheels expansion for the popular driving game, something that has not been announced by developer Playground Games yet.
Spotted by eagle eyed Redditor "Autumnal_Leaves", the image (see above) clearly shows Hot Wheels as the theme of the first expansion hitting the game. The banner was quickly pulled from the store page when the relevant parties realized what had happened, but thanks to the Wayback Machine, we can still see it displayed in full. In fact, Steam"s own servers are still hosting the image as of writing.
This is not the first time Playground Games has teamed up with toymaker Mattel for Hot Wheels goodness in a game. Forza Horizon 3 famously hosted a Hot Wheels expansion of its own featuring themed islands with the iconic orange tracks, stunts, and cars from the toy line. Forza Horizon 5"s take could go the same route, maybe even offer Hot Wheels parts in the track and race editor built into the game.
Considering how close the Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase (and Extended edition) is, the Steam banner was probably supposed to go up right when the official reveal happens on stage. The Hot Wheels expansion should be available as a standalone purchase in addition to the Expansion Pass and Premium Add-Ons bundles being offered. We will have to wait until the announcement to find the pricing details.