Turn 10 ends updates on Forza Motorsport and focuses on Horizon 6 in Japan (Updated)

Turn 10

This strategic shift comes after a significant restructuring of the team, marked by layoffs that impacted the division in July 2025. From now on, the remaining team’s main focus will be supporting the development of the sister series’ next major title, Forza Horizon 6.

For the community of Forza Motorsport players, the studio assured that the servers will remain online for an indefinite period of time. The gaming experience will continue to be active through a monthly rotation of previously released content, including special events, competitions and reward cars, keeping the multiplayer environment functional.

Restructuring and the studio’s new focus

The decision to end active support for Forza Motorsport is directly linked to a wave of layoffs that affected Microsoft in mid-2025, with Turn 10 Fontes Internal and reports from former employees indicate that approximately half of the workforce dedicated to the racing simulator has been laid off, leading to the effective closure of the division responsible for future updates to the game. Embora to The restructuring aims to optimize resources and avoid overloading teams, ensuring that the delivery of new major titles, such as Horizon 6, occurs with maximum quality and within the established deadlines.

The long-awaited Forza Horizon 6 on Japão

Turn 10’s focus now turns to collaborating with Playground Games in the development of Forza Horizon 6. The game, which had its first reveal during Tokyo Game Show 2025, promises to take players to the diverse landscapes of Japão.

The choice of Japão as the setting is an old request from the community and opens up a range of possibilities, from racing on urban circuits in neon-lit metropolises to challenges on winding mountain roads, famous for the drift culture.

The promise is of a map rich in details, which captures both the modernity and tradition of the country, offering a visual and culturally immersive experience for fans of the arcade racing franchise.

Maintenance and future of Forza Motorsport

Although it will no longer receive news, Forza Motorsport will not be completely abandoned. Turn 10 has assured that the game will enter a maintenance mode, ensuring that the existing player base can continue to enjoy the title.

Multiplayer servers will remain active, allowing online racing to continue uninterrupted. Além In addition, the studio will implement a monthly content rotation system, bringing back Tours career, reward cars and special events that were introduced throughout 2025. Dessa way, all content already developed for the game will remain accessible to players on a cyclical basis, albeit without the addition of new cars, tracks or more complex bug fixes.

Statements from the leadership of Xbox

Phil Spencer, head of the Xbox division, addressed the situation to reassure fans. Ele stated that the Forza Motorsport series is not being definitively closed, but that the development pause is a strategic adjustment to better manage resources and pressure on development teams.

Spencer highlighted that Microsoft’s current priority is to ensure the delivery of high-quality experiences in titles with shorter release times, as is the case with Forza Horizon 6. The executive also highlighted the company’s commitment to providing careful and continuous support for its multiple games, even if this means relocating teams to higher priority projects at certain times.

The reception of the 2023 reboot

Released in 2023, the reboot of Forza Motorsport hit the market with a mixed reception from critics and players. Muitos praised the improved physics and realistic graphics, but the game was criticized for its slow progression system and limited amount of content at launch, especially compared to its predecessors.

Throughout 2024 and 2025, Turn 10 released a series of updates that added new cars, tracks, and significant quality of life improvements, addressing many of the community’s complaints. However, the popularity of the Horizon series, which consistently attracts a greater number of players, appears to have weighed on the decision to redirect the studio’s resources.

Horizon 6 Release Details

Forza Horizon 6 is scheduled to be released in 2026, coming first to Xbox Series X|S and PC. Como is standard for Xbox Game Studios titles, it will be available on the Game Pass service from the first day of launch.

An important new development in the launch strategy is that the title will also arrive on PlayStation 5 at a later date, following Microsoft’s new multiplatform approach to some of its games. The initial launch on the Xbox and PC ecosystem will be followed by an expansion to the competing platform, expanding the reach of the franchise.

Inter-studio collaboration

The remaining Turn 10 team will act as a support studio for Playground Games, joining forces to ensure that Forza Horizon 6 reaches a new level of quality and innovation. The Essa partnership aims to leverage Turn 10’s technical experience in simulation to further enhance the gameplay of Horizon, while Playground Games leads the creation of the vast Japanese open world. Detalhes additional information about the map, cars and new features of the game should be revealed in early 2026, increasing expectations for the next chapter in the franchise.