It is the End of an Era for One of Xbox’s Biggest Franchises

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It appears that rumors are circulating that approximately 120 employees from Turn 10 Studios, the developers behind the Forza Motorsport series, have been let go by Microsoft. This move is said to conclude the primary series of the Forza Motorsport franchise and marks a significant milestone in Xbox’s history. The first Forza Motorsport game was launched in 2005 for the original Xbox console and received rave reviews upon its release. Positioned as a rival to Sony’s Gran Turismo series, the initial Forza Motorsport was a resounding success and gave birth to one of Xbox’s prominent franchises.

The original Forza Motorsport was succeeded by three direct sequels on Xbox 360, each receiving similar acclaim as the original. Forza Motorsport 5 served as a launch title for the Xbox One and received generally positive reviews, but didn’t garner nearly as much praise as its predecessors. Both 6 and 7 were slightly better-received than 5, but still fell short of the franchise’s peak performance. The 2023 edition of Forza Motorsport faced similar challenges, yet it managed to win several awards at The Game Awards 2023, including Best Sports/Racing Game and Innovation in Accessibility. In addition to the main series, Forza also gave birth to numerous spin-offs, such as the popular open-world racing games of the Forza Horizon sub-series and the now-discontinued mobile titles Forza Street and Forza Customs.

It appears that in the future, fans of Forza can anticipate solely new installments of Forza Horizon. According to recent reports, Turn 10 Studios, the developer behind Forza Motorsport, has allegedly undergone significant layoffs with around 120 people being let go, as reported by IGN. Another former employee, Fred Russell, has stated that Turn 10 is now primarily focused on supporting the Forza Horizon sub-series developed by Playground Games. If these statements are true, it seems the more realistic and simulation-based racing game series, Forza Motorsport, may have reached its conclusion, while Forza Horizon continues. Given that Forza Motorsport has been a cornerstone of Xbox since 2005, this news signifies the end of an era for the brand.

Forza Motorsport Team Reportedly Reduced to Support Studio

It’s truly disheartening to witness the apparent conclusion of the Forza Motorsport series due to Microsoft’s unfortunate layoffs. Fans of this series can only look forward to playing Forza Horizon, which, it must be said, has been more widely appreciated than the main series games for quite a while now. However, there are some who aren’t fond of the open-world aspects in Horizon and prefer traditional racing simulators. Unfortunately, if you’re an Xbox user seeking such experiences, you might find yourself waiting for Sony to bring over Gran Turismo.

As an enthusiastic fan, I can’t contain my excitement about the upcoming addition to the Forza series! It’s expected that we’ll see Forza Horizon 6 in 2026, with Playground Games leading development, and support from what’s left of Turn 10 Studios.

During the Xbox Games Showcase, Phil Spencer, Head of Xbox, hinted at the release of their four flagship franchises next year. We’re looking forward to not just Forza, but also a reported remake of Halo 1, Gears of War: E-Day, and the long-awaited new Fable game – all developed by Playground Games!

Here’s hoping that these exciting titles will all reach completion without any last-minute changes. I can hardly wait to see them all in action!

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2025-07-05 17:33