A former Turn 10 Studios employee has announced thatForza Motorsportand its team have shuttered. While there’s no official word from the studio yet, the insider information adds to a series of updates and leaks swirling throughout the gaming industry amid Microsoft’s latest layoffs. If true, it’s a sad day forForza Motorsportfans, even if the broaderForzaseries carries on.
Several Microsoft-owned studios have already announced cutbacks and cancellations amid the mass firings. Turn 10 hasn’t made any formal announcement regarding the restructuring, but theForza Motorsportteam was “bracing for layoffs”, according to one report. It seems now that the brace was unfortunately necessary, with the studio facing an uncertain future after the reported cancellation of its flagship series.
Ina Facebook post shared on Resetera, former Turn 10 Studios employee Fred Russell said that the company had stopped work onForza Motorsportand disbanded the team working on it. Russell offers no more details beyond that, and it’s unclear where exactly the information is coming from, but as someone who has previously worked on the series, he likely has ties to current employees with insider knowledge. As sad as the report is, it would make sense, too, even thoughForza Motorsportjust celebrated its 20th anniversary, given the higher popularity ofForza Horizonand the ongoing Microsoft layoffs.
Turn 10 Studios Has Reportedly Ended Work on Forza Motorsport
Russell did not say that Turn 10 was closing entirely, with his wording suggesting that it was rather downsizing and shifting focus away fromMotorsport. Some have theorized that the studio may be transitioning to a support team for theForza Horizonseries, which has been a bright spot for Microsoft lately. The release ofForza Horizon 5on PS5 reportedly made Xbox over $100 millionin revenue, becoming a shining example of the company’s recent strategy of moving away from console exclusivity. Still, how exactly things will go for the Turn 10 team from here is uncertain.
Forzais far from the only iconic Microsoft series to suffer some setbacks amid the current round of layoffs. An anonymous developer has claimed thatHalo Studios has lost at least five employeesfrom the company’s cost-cutting measures, following a gradual shift to contracted development.Call of DutyandTheElder Scrolls Onlinehave also felt the impact on their teams. News of more studios and games suffering the effects may come out in the days to come, too, considering the scope of the planned firings, although Xbox is just part of Microsoft’s global presence.
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