It might be the end of an era for racing fans. Microsoft has allegedly slashed the staff at Turn 10 Studios, the developer behind the Forza Motorsport video game franchise. It’s unclear how many people the studio laid off, but reports indicate that nearly half the staff has been let go.
The Verge is reporting that around 70 people were fired, and it’s unclear how this will affect future installments of the Forza Motorsport franchise. The studio launched the franchise’s latest installment in 2023, simply named Forza Motorsport, for the Xbox Series X/S and PC. It garnered tepid reviews, with some disliking parts of the game’s newer elements, like the RPG-style progression system, which the studio attempted to address.
However, gamers have generally enjoyed the Motorsport franchise. Early examples of the game earned Metacritic scores in the low 90s; however, the scores began to falter with the release of Forza Motorsport 5.
Forza Motorsport (2023) was the eighth installment in the series. The franchise launched in 2005 as Xbox’s response to PlayStation’s Gran Turismo. Microsoft would expand the Forza franchise with the launch of Forza Horizon, an arcade-style open-world alternative that emphasized the motoring lifestyle more than perfect lap times at iconic tracks.
The layoffs at Turn 10 were part of a larger culling throughout Microsoft’s various divisions. There are no reports that the tech giant laid off anyone at the studio behind the Horizon franchise, England’s Playground Games, which is also available on the PlayStation.
Sources: The Verge, Insider Gaming
