It has been a dark week for Xbox fans as many studios have downsized tremendously, games have been cancelled, and more. Now, it looks like those who were fans of the racing sim franchise Forza Motorsport shouldn’t hold out for any new games in the franchise. Xbox has always had a few key pillar franchises such as Halo, Gears of War, and Forza. All three franchises have released somewhat regularly (though Halo and Gears have certainly slowed down in recent years) and been consistent showcase games, highlighting the power of the respective consoles they released on. Forza even began to branch out with the more popular and arcade-y Forza Horizon series, which has since made its way to PS5.
Still, some racing fans have preferred the more hardcore, very sim heavy experience that Forza Motorsport offered. PlayStation has Gran Turismo, which is extremely detailed and puts players as close to being in a real race experience as possible and Forza Motorsport offered a very similar thing for Xbox players. While Horizon surpassed it for being more accessible, there has always been love for Motorsport. Unfortunately, Forza Motorsport’s future looks slim to none following mass layoffs directed at developer Turn 10 Studios.
Forza Motorsport Team Reportedly Shut Down After Xbox Layoffs
Microsoft laid off 9,000 people this week, canceled multiple games like Perfect Dark, shuttered developer The Initiative, and it made the future look particularly bleak. Forza Motorsport developer Turn 10 Studios was one of the studios to get hit the hardest as they lost nearly 50% of their staff. Now, it has been claimed by ex-Turn 10 employee Fred Russell that Turn 10 Studios shuttered the entire Forza Motorsport team and all remaining employees are essentially there to support Forza Horizon, which is primarily developed by Playground Games. Russell hasn’t worked at Turn 10 in some time, so while it’s possible that his information isn’t totally accurate, he is likely still connected to people at the studio and it makes him a reputable source. Not to mention, it’s hard to imagine a studio putting out a game of that scale after losing half of its staff.
The last Motorsport game, simply titled Forza Motorsport, was the eight installment in the franchise and was released in 2023. The series celebrated its 20th anniversary in May and resulted in a big update to Forza Motorsport. Unfortunately, it seems like that may be the last game in the series for quite a while or maybe even forever. Forza Horizon 6 is expected to release sometime next year and will likely also release on PS5 given the immense success of the fifth game on the console.
While Horizon has been the more dominant series for a while, it’s a bummer that both franchises couldn’t thrive simultaneously. Maybe one day Forza Motorsport will get a new game, but don’t hold your breath. At the very least, it seems like Forza Horizon will continue to give fans a racing fill. The Horizon games are far more focused on open-world driving, more arcade-y races that aren’t as grounded in reality, and fun gameplay upgrades like seasons that impact the weather in the game. It’s unclear what new innovation the next Forza Horizon game will bring to the table, but it will likely continue to push the franchise forward in a favorable direction.
Would you like to see more Forza Motorsport games? Let me know in the comments.
