Race To The Bottom As Microsoft Shifts Veteran Studio To Support Work

by

This week isn’t looking too bright for Xbox enthusiasts. As Microsoft announced layoffs affecting more than 9,000 employees, their gaming division (Xbox) has been significantly impacted. It appears the challenging times for them may persist.

It appears that an experienced Xbox studio has been closed down and is now focusing on providing support instead.

Rumors about the studio’s closure are circulating online, as former employees associated with Microsoft’s Xbox division have shared this information unofficially.

Forza Developer Said To Be Transitioning To Support Work

It appears that the company responsible for developing the popular Forza racing franchise, known as Turn 10 Studios, is said to have ceased operations.

According to Fred Russell, who used to work as a Content Coordinator at Turn 10 Studios on Facebook, he announced that Turn 10 Studios has closed down their Forza Motorsport division, effectively ending the team. This is a sad day for fans of one of the top car racing video games, and Fred shared that he enjoyed his time there.

One ex-employee from Turn 10 expressed surprise at the closure of the studio, as Playground Games founder and studio head, Ralph Fulton, clarified, “the studio remains active to continue working on the Horizon series…it is merely the Forza Motorsport division that has been closed down.

It seems that Microsoft has two teams working on their Forza series: Turn 10 and Playground Games. Historically, Turn 10 was responsible for the Motorsport series, while Playground Games handled the Forza Horizon franchise. According to Russell’s statement, it appears that now, Turn 10 is focusing primarily on supporting Playground Games.

As a dedicated fan, I find myself intrigued by Microsoft’s unexpected decision to halt production on the Forza series. While maintaining a steady job remains my priority, I can’t help but wonder about the reasoning behind this choice, especially considering the success of these games in the past.

There hasn’t been an official confirmation yet from Microsoft about Turn 10 Studios either closing down or changing direction, but the clues suggesting this seem quite clear. The increasing number of canceled Xbox games, following this week’s shakeup, serves as a disheartening testament to what the Xbox brand might have accomplished with better guidance.

It emerged yesterday that Microsoft is allegedly making a concerted effort to substitute the Halo Studios developers with artificial intelligence.

For racing enthusiasts, it’s been a tough run lately. Back in May, news broke out that Electronic Arts (EA), the publisher, is planning to shut down Codemasters – a company that EA acquired in 2021. Known for their F1 racing franchise and DiRT series, Codemasters was later moved to EA Sports WRC by EA before they decided to discontinue it in April, only a game after its launch.

When it comes to Turn 10, let’s hope whoever’s affected lands on their feet soon.

Read More

2025-07-04 16:38