Microsoft merges Playground Games and Turn 10 Studios

Microsoft has officially announced the merger of Playground Games and Turn 10 Studios into one unified studio. Both companies, which have long been responsible for developing the Forza series, will now operate as a single team working on the Forza and Fable franchises.

For Forza Motorsport, the consolidation marks a significant strategic shift. Turn 10 Studios has traditionally handled the simulation aspects of the franchise over many years, but recent releases from the studio have faced considerable challenges. Playground Games, by contrast, has demonstrated strong commercial and critical success with the Forza Horizon series, elevating it to a new level of quality and player engagement.

Microsoft has not formally announced the closure of Forza Motorsport. The series remains officially active, though no concrete signs of development on a new instalment have emerged. The name of the merged studio has not yet been confirmed, though it is expected that the Playground Games brand will be retained.

The consolidation signals that the era in which Motorsport and Horizon developed as two separate branches of the Forza franchise may be coming to an end. What format the franchise will take going forward remains uncertain.