Forza Motorsport's Future in Jeopardy: Fans Demand Clarity from Microsoft

It's more than a month since reports surfaced suggesting the dire state of Turn 10 Studios, makers of Forza Motorsport, and the equally dire outlook for the future of the franchise.

Since then? Silence. Actual silence.

As has been highlighted by Klobrille on X, and commented upon by our own Jez Corden, there hasn't been a single post on the brand's social media since July 10.

Let's apply some context to the timeline a little. The last content update to Forza Motorsport was on June 16. Following this, two more hotfix updates hit the game between then and the end of June.

July 4 the reports about the apparent shuttering of the franchise following the layoffs came out. Our own sources stated that it wasn't "dead," that it could return one day, but that indeed Turn 10's remaining staff would now be refocused as a support team for Forza Horizon.

When writing that report, I reached out to Microsoft for comment on the matter. To this day I received nothing. Not even a "no comment." Just absolutely nothing. I'm not alone there, either. AR12, a YouTube channel that has covered Forza extensively over the years, at least received a no comment.

The last post to the Forza Motorsport X account on July 10 is below. There was also a post on July 8, both of which were after the initial report.

As our Executive Editor, Jez Corden, pointed out. Forza is Microsoft's biggest homegrown IP. Admittedly, that stretches across two very different titles under the badge, but it all began with Forza Motorsport.

And yes, this is mismanagement on a legendary scale.

Forza Motorsport enjoyed its 20th birthday in May this year. The franchise began way back on the original Xbox and has been a staple ever since. As times and tastes have changed, sure, the arcade, open-world stylings of Forza Horizon surpassed it, but Forza Motorsport has been a favorite of many for two decades now.

Myself included.

I'll admit I wasn't over the moon with the big reboot in 2023. I didn't feel it delivered on the promises, and it wasn't the leap forward I hoped for. But Turn 10 kept at it, because they're the best in the business. Now, it's in a much better place, even if there is still more that can be done.

But it could also be out to pasture. We assume it's out to pasture, but nobody's saying a word.

That's what hurts the most. No, that's what angers me the most. I'm sure I'm not alone, either. This is one of the biggest, longest serving Xbox IPs we have. If it's last orders at the bar, send it out with a bang, not a whimper.

Instead, players are left in limbo. Will it get any more content updates? Will it even get fixes? How long will the servers be left on, and even if they are, will there be anything for us to do going forward?

Forza Motorsport is one of the franchises that helped build Xbox into what it is today. It's frankly disgusting that over a month after media reports of its demise, nobody at Microsoft has even acknowledged the situation.

Is it alive? Is it dead? Is it purely in maintenance mode? We're not expecting much, but we're right to expect something.

I know that people in Microsoft read this site. So at this point consider me on my knees in front of you, on behalf of the millions in the Forza community when I ask this.

Please, Xbox, what in the heck is going on with Forza Motorsport. We deserve to know, and this legendary franchise deserves, if indeed it is the case, a proper farewell.