“Forza Motorsport Is No More,” Says Ex-Dev as Xbox Layoffs Hit Hard

The Forza Motorsport series might be done. That’s what a former Turn 10 Studios developer is saying after Microsoft’s latest round of massive layoffs. The studio behind the racing sim is reportedly shutting down the Motorsport side, while Forza Horizon will continue.

Fred Russell, who worked at Turn 10 until 2016, shared a Facebook post with photos from his time on the team. He wrote, “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.”

In the comments, he added, “Forza Horizon will continue at this point,” and said only the Motorsport part of the studio was closed. There’s been no official update from Microsoft or Turn 10 yet, but this adds to the growing concerns about what’s happening inside Xbox. Eurogamer has reached out to Microsoft for clarification.

More people from Turn 10 have spoken out too. John Schommer, a longtime developer who was with the studio for over ten years, replied to Russell’s post, saying, “I’m very thankful for the 10 years I was able to be a face and voice for this brand and its awesome car loving community.”

According to Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier, nearly half of Turn 10 was hit by layoffs. These cuts are part of a bigger shake-up at Microsoft, which let go of about 9,000 workers, including many from the Xbox division.

Other Xbox teams like ZeniMax, Rare, King, and even Halo’s 343 Studios also lost people. Several games were cancelled, including Perfect Dark, Everwild, and a new MMO from ZeniMax Online.

Forza Motorsport has been around since 2005, first launching on the original Xbox. It was known for realistic driving and trying to match Sony’s Gran Turismo. Over time though, the more relaxed and open-world Forza Horizon series became more popular. That version of the franchise is made by Playground Games, who are still active and now working on the next Fable game. That game has been delayed to 2026.

Inside Microsoft, things seem tense. One developer told Engadget they were upset with how leadership announced the layoffs. They said, “I’m personally super pissed that Phil’s email to us bragged about how this was the most profitable year ever for Xbox in the same breath as pulling the lever.”

Microsoft is also pushing hard into AI. CEO Satya Nadella said earlier this year that about 30% of the company’s code is now written by AI. Some workers believe this shift is part of the reason behind so many layoffs. Tools like Microsoft Copilot are now being used across the company, and one developer told Engadget, “They’re trying their damndest to replace as many jobs as they can with AI agents.”

This latest round of cuts follows earlier waves in 2023 and early 2024. Last year, Microsoft closed down several studios including Arkane Austin, Tango Gameworks, and Alpha Dog Games. Despite Xbox reporting higher earnings, that hasn’t stopped them from canceling projects and cutting staff.

Now, with Forza Motorsport seemingly gone, it’s another big loss for Xbox fans who were hoping for a stronger lineup of exclusive games.

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