While there have been reports and rumours about several projects at game development studios under Microsoft getting cancelled, a former developer from Turn 10, Fred Russell, has said that the company has also cancelled the Forza Motorsport franchise. It is worth noting that Russell had left the studio back in 2016.
“Turn 10 Studios has shuttered the Forza Motorsport space and the team is no more. A very sad day for one of the best car racing video games. I loved my time there,” wrote Russell in a post, as caught by Reddit user Fidler_2K. “The studio is open to support the Horizon side… shuttered the Forza Motorsport side only.”
With the ongoing turmoil at studios under Microsoft thanks to reported lay-offs and project cancellations, Turn 10 is noted to have been one of the worst-hit studios. According to reports, the studio behind the Forza Motorsport series lost around 50 percent of its workforce.
It is also worth noting that, while Forza Motorsport was essentially the mainline franchise in the Forza series of racing games, the Forza Horizon games have far overtaken the more simulation-centric Motorsport series in terms of player counts and popularity. The last major release in the Forza Motorsport series was back in 2023.
Forza Horizon, on the other hand, has been developed by Playground Games. The last title in that series was Forza Horizon 5 back in 2021. The Horizon series has traditionally focused on offering a mix of the sim racing foundations of its Motorsport counterpart, along with more arcade-styled gameplay that encouraged players to partake in some more fun and off-beat activities.
Leading up to Microsoft’s reported lay-offs, Turn 10 was said to have been “bracing for cuts” to its workforce. A report at the time indicated that there was a real risk of the entire studio being shuttered. This came about courtesy of 3D Realms founder George Broussard.
Interestingly, earlier in June, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer had confirmed that a new Forza title has been in the works and is slated for 2026. He had mentioned that Fable as well as Gears of War: E-Day would also be coming out in 2026. However, with all of the recent lay-offs, a studio closure, and several project cancellations, the company’s entire slate of future titles currently has a shadow cast over it.
Spencer also didn’t specifically confirm whether this Forza game would be from the Horizon series or the Motorsport series.
In the meantime, check out more details about the last Forza Motorsport game in our review.
