Recent claims suggest Microsoft has laid off around 120 people fromForza Motorsportdeveloper Turn 10 Studios, effectively ending the franchise’s main series and marking the end of an era for Xbox. The originalForza Motorsportwas released in 2005 for the original Xbox and earned widespread critical acclaim at the time of its launch. Built as a competitor to PlayStation’sGran Turismoseries, the originalForza Motorsportwas a huge success and spawned one of Xbox’s flagship franchises.
Forza Motorsportwas followed by three direct sequelson Xbox 360, all of which earned similar praise as the OG.Forza Motorsport 5was a launch title for the Xbox One and earned mostly positive reviews, but wasn’t praised nearly as much as its predecessors.6and7were a bit better-received than5, but still a far cry from the franchise’s heights. 2023’sForza Motorsportfound itself in a similar boat, but it did manage to win multiple awards at The Game Awards 2023, including Best Sports/Racing Game and Innovation in Accessibility. Beyond the main series,Forzaalso spawned multiple spin-offs, including the wildly successfulForza Horizonsub-series of open-world racing games and the now-defunct mobile titlesForza StreetandForza Customs.
Moving forward, it seemsForzafans will only be able to count on newForza Horizongames. The recent Microsoft layoffs have reportedly hitForza Motorsportdeveloper Turn 10 Studios particularly hard, with former employee Chris Harding claiming that around 120 people have been laid off, as reported byIGN. Another former Turn 10 employee, Fred Russell, has added that Turn 10 is now effectively a support studio for theForza Horizonsub-series by Playground Games. Assuming these claims are accurate, it seems the more serious, simulation-focused racing game seriesForza Motorsportis done, thoughForza Horizonwill live on. WithForza Motorsportbeing one of Xbox’s key series since 2005, this marks a sad end of an era for the brand.
Forza Motorsport Team Reportedly Reduced to Support Studio
It’s certainly depressing to see theForza Motorsportseries seemingly end because of the devastating Microsoft layoffs. Fans of the franchise will have to be satisfied withForza Horizon, which has, admittedly, been more popular than the main series installments for quite some time. Still, there are those that don’t care forHorizon’s open-world elementsand prefer more straightforward racing sims. Those individuals are out of luck on Xbox unless Sony decides to portGran Turismoover.
We know that thenextForzagame will be launching at some point in 2026. It will presumably beForza Horizon 6, developed by Playground Games with support from what remains of Turn 10 Studios. Recent comments by Head of Xbox Phil Spencer during the Xbox Games Showcase underline the company’s intention to deliver its four core franchises next year in the form ofForza, the rumoredHalo 1remake,Gears of War: E-Day, and the long-awaited newFablegame, itself also developed by Playground Games. Hopefully these titles all make it across the finish line and don’t wind up on the cutting room floor.
