Following Microsoft laying off more than 9000 employees recently, it’s emerged that Turn 10, the Microsoft-owned studio that produces Forza Motorsport (FM), has suffered badly from the hatchet with over 50% layoffs.
The Forza Motorsport franchise was first launched in May 2005, with the latest version, FM8, launching in October 2023. I have both FM 7 and 8, and although they are more serious racers than their stablemate, Forza Horizon, the Forza Motorsport franchise is still basically arcade racing. I have thoroughly enjoyed both games, although the latest was not well received, having numerous bugs on release. So what’s new?
From what I can gather, the remaining staff at Turn 10 will be reassigned to supporting the Forza Horizon franchise, which is produced by another Microsoft studio, Playground Games.
This must come as a smack in the face to those who have lost their jobs, especially since Microsoft recently completed the $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, the makers of the Call of Duty franchise. Although there has been no official announcement from Microsoft, an ex-employee of Turn 10, Fred Russell, posted on Facebook that Forza Motorsport had been ‘shuttered’ and that ‘the team is no more’.
At its peak, Forza Motorsport was hugely popular with serious racers, and competitions attracted worldwide audiences. I myself thoroughly enjoyed FM7 and even managed to win a race or two. But, incredible as it sounds, you can no longer buy FM7, even though it was released as recently as September 2017, it was delisted in September 2021, presumably for licensing reasons.
Since that God-awful time of lockdown, the gaming industry has suffered badly with thousands of layoffs and badly thought-out acquisitions, so one has to wonder what Microsoft’s game plan really is.
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