Dan Greenawalt, director of several successful Forza Motorsport titles and a driving force behind Turn 10 Studios’ rise to prominence in the racing space, is retiring from Microsoft after 27 years of making great racing titles.
Reliable sources point to an internal memo confirming his departure, while Playground Games’ Trevor Williams told IGN that Greenawalt was indeed stepping away from a career that has spanned twenty-seven years and several successful instalments in the Forza Motorsport franchise, where he has played a crucial role over the years.
The news comes amid a wider effort to put Xbox back on the map, which saw a merger between Playground and Turn 10, resulting in a lot of the latter’s team being relegated to supporting the latest Horizon title, which is reportedly doing quite well for itself. Greenawalt’s departure could be the final nail in the Motorsport franchise’s coffin, but we see no reason not to remain optimistic about a revival at some point in the future.
What that looks like without one of the franchise’s most impactful minds behind it remains a mystery, though, and Greenawalt will surely be missed by his colleagues and all the players who formed fond memories with the titles he helmed. As for Forza Horizon 6, it’s out on January 26th, 2027, for PS5 alongside its first paid expansion.
