Turn 10 ends Forza Motorsport updates and directs full focus to project in Japan

Turn 10 Studios officially announced the end of the development of new content for the racing simulatorForza Motorsport, a title that served as a reboot for the franchise in 2023. The strategic decision aims to reallocate the remaining workforce to support the production ofForza Horizon 6, the next major release in the series, which will be set in Japão. The announcement comes after a period of internal adjustments at the developer, which faced a significant reduction in its workforce in mid-2025.

Although the flow of new features such as new cars and additional tracks has been interrupted, the game’s online infrastructure will remain fully functional for the community. The servers will remain active indefinitely, guaranteeing access to multiplayer modes and competitive events already established on the platform.

The change in priorities reflects the current situation of the Microsoft games division, which seeks to optimize resources and guarantee the delivery of projects with closer release windows. Collaboration between internal studios has become a key part of meeting the timelines set for fiscal year 2026.

Internal restructuring and team cuts

The termination of active support forForza Motorsportis a direct consequence of the layoffs that hit Turn 10 Studios in July 2025. Relatórios point out that approximately half of the team dedicated to the project was laid off during a broader restructuring promoted by The drastic reduction in the number of developers made it impossible to maintain a robust update schedule for the simulator.

Former collaborators reported that the division responsible for creating post-launch content was practically demobilized after the cuts. Apesar Although Microsoft did not release official figures on the financial or human impact, the company confirmed that the adjustments were necessary to redirect the focus to titles with greater potential for immediate engagement.

Partnership for the development of Forza Horizon 6

With the reduced team, Turn 10 starts to act as a support studio for Playground Games in the development ofForza Horizon 6. The game, revealed during Tokyo Game Show 2025, promises to take the open-world franchise to Japanese roads, exploring both the complexity of urban areas and the region’s famous mountain passes. The collaboration aims to ensure that the physics and technical aspects of the new title maintain the quality standard expected by fans.

The launch is scheduled to take place throughout 2026, first arriving on the Xbox and PC ecosystem platforms. Informações preliminaries indicate a staggered distribution strategy for the new chapter in the series:

• Exclusive debut on Xbox Series X|S consoles and computers with Windows.
• Immediate availability on the Game Pass service from day one.
• Later release of a version dedicated to PlayStation 5.

Maintenance of online services

Despite the absence of expansion packs or deep bug fixes, Turn 10 has ensured that the current gaming experienceForza Motorsportwill not be turned off. The studio will implement a monthly content rotation system, bringing back events, tours and rewards that were previously available. Essa measure allows new players to have access to items they might have otherwise missed, keeping the game’s economy active.

The developer thanked the community for its engagement since launch and reinforced that there are no plans to shut down the servers in the near future. The expectation is that the player base will continue competing on existing tracks while awaiting the arrival of the next title in the sister franchise.

Positioning of the leadership of Xbox

Phil Spencer, head of the gaming division at Microsoft, addressed the situation to reassure simulation enthusiasts. The executive categorically stated that the seriesMotorsporthas not been cancelled, but the moment requires a concentration of efforts to avoid overloading the development teams. Segundo Spencer, the priority is to deliver polished and complete experiences, respecting the production deadlines of partner studios.

The current scenario demonstrates the commercial predominance of the sub-seriesHorizon, which historically surpasses the simulation aspect in number of active players and sales. With the new game on the horizon, Microsoft is betting on the Japanese setting as a decisive factor in revitalizing global interest in the Forza brand in 2026.