Forza Motorsport Reportedly Canceled as Turn 10 Shifts Focus to Horizon Series

Forza Motorsport

Turn 10 Studios has reportedly shut down its Forza Motorsport division, quietly bringing an end to the iconic sim racing franchise that’s been a part of Xbox since 2005.

The news comes from Fred Russell, a former Turn 10 employee who worked at the studio until 2016. In a recent Facebook post, Russell claimed that "Turn 10 Studios has shuttered the Forza Motorsport space and the team is no more."

He added that while the studio isn’t closing entirely, its focus has now shifted solely to supporting the Forza Horizon series.

While there’s no official word from Microsoft or Turn 10 just yet, this news aligns with the wave of layoffs that recently hit the Xbox division. As per reports, nearly 9,000 employees were let go across Microsoft, with Turn 10 said to have lost around 50% of its staff. Studios like Rare, ZeniMax, and multiple Call of Duty teams were also affected in what’s now the fourth round of cuts in the past 18 months.

The last Forza Motorsport title released in 2023 to decent critical praise—scoring 83/84 on Metacritic and 84% on OpenCritic—but struggled to keep players engaged over the long haul. Meanwhile, the more arcade-style Forza Horizon continues to be a fan-favorite, with Playground Games at the helm delivering consistent updates and expansions.

Forza Motorsport launched in 2005 as Xbox’s answer to PlayStation’s Gran Turismo, offering a more serious and competitive take on racing. Its closure marks a significant shift not just for Xbox’s first-party portfolio, but also for fans of competitive sim racing.