Turn 10 Studios

Last updated

Turn 10 Studios
Type Division
Industry Video games
Founded2001;25 years ago (2001)
DefunctSeptember 2026;1 month ago (2026-09)
FateMerged with Playground Games
Headquarters,
US
Key peopleDan Greenawalt (studio head)
Products Forza Motorsport series
Number of employees
100 (2014)
Parent Xbox Game Studios
Website turn10studios.com

Turn 10 Studios was a American video game developer based in Redmond, Washington. The company was established in 2001 under Microsoft Game Studios (now known as Xbox Game Studios) to develop the Forza Motorsport series for Xbox platforms.

Contents

The last game developed solely by Turn 10 is the eighth Forza Motorsport , released in 2023. [1] Following the release of Forza Horizon 6 in May 2026, Turn 10 was merged into Playground Games.

History

Turn 10 Studios was established in 2001 by Microsoft, under its Microsoft Game Studios division, to develop a series of racing games, which later became known as Forza . [2] [1] Alan Hartman served as head of the studio. [3] At the time of the studio's establishment, most staff had experience in publishing games, such as Project Gotham Racing and Golf 4.0, but had not been involved in game development. [2]

In October 2014, the studio employed approximately 100 full-time staff, as well as between 100 and 200 contract workers. [2] In 2023, Hartman was elevated to head of Xbox Games Studios. [4] After releasing a new Forza Motorsport every two years since the first game, Turn 10 announced in 2019 that it would not be releasing a new entry that year. [5] In 2023, the studio released Forza Motorsport as a reboot of the series. [6]

In July 2025, 70 roles were eliminated as part of a round of layoffs that affected 9,000 Microsoft employees. [7] It was also reported that development on the Forza Motorsport series had been cancelled and Turn 10 would continue working on the Forza Horizon series alongside Playground Games. [6] [8] [9] Support for Forza Motorsport stopped at the end of the year, allowing Turn 10 to assist on Forza Horizon 6 . [10] [11]

Merger with Playground Games

In September 2026, as part of a broader restructuring of Xbox Game Studios, Microsoft announced that Turn 10 Studios and Playground Games would merge into one studio. The combined studio would focus on the Forza and Fable franchises. [12]

Technology

Turn 10 develops and uses a proprietary game engine called ForzaTech, and proprietary editor called Fuel that allows multiple artists to work on the same level, primarily those for cars and racing tracks, simultaneously. [2]

Games developed

YearTitlePlatform(s)
2005 Forza Motorsport Xbox
2007 Forza Motorsport 2 Xbox 360
2009 Forza Motorsport 3
2011 Forza Motorsport 4
2013 Forza Motorsport 5 Xbox One
2015 Forza Motorsport 6
2016 Forza Motorsport 6: Apex Microsoft Windows
2017 Forza Motorsport 7 Microsoft Windows, Xbox One
2023 Forza Motorsport Microsoft Windows, Xbox Series X/S

References

  1. 1 2 Horti, Samuel; Fenlon, Wes (February 26, 2019). "Here's what each Microsoft game studio is working on". PC Gamer . Archived from the original on June 11, 2019. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Gitlin, Jonathan M. (October 31, 2014). "A trip to Turn 10, the Forza studio merging car culture with games". Ars Technica . Archived from the original on October 31, 2014. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
  3. ↑ Dring, Christopher (October 14, 2024). "Rare's Craig Duncan to become head of Xbox Game Studios as Alan Hartman retires". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved July 11, 2026.
  4. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (November 1, 2023). "Jobs Roundup: November 2023 | Rockstar veterans join Dan Houser's new studio". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved July 11, 2026.
  5. ↑ Reilly, Luke (June 9, 2019). "No Forza Motorsport This Year as Turn 10 Takes Time to Innovate and Reinvigorate – E3 2019". IGN. Retrieved July 11, 2026.
  6. 1 2 Phillips, Tom (July 4, 2025). "Forza Motorsport 'Team Is No More,' Former Developer Claims, With Remaining Turn 10 Staff Left 'To Support the Horizon Side'". IGN. Retrieved July 11, 2026.
  7. ↑ Warren, Tom (July 2, 2025). "Microsoft's Forza Motorsport developer hit hard by Xbox cuts". The Verge. Retrieved July 2, 2025.
  8. ↑ Phillips, Tom (December 17, 2025). "Forza Motorsport Developer Says Servers Will Remain Online, But Don't Expect Any More Cars, Tracks, Features or Regular Bug Fixes Following Layoffs". IGN. Retrieved July 11, 2026.
  9. ↑ Filby, Jessica (July 4, 2025). "Forza Motorsport cancelled following Xbox layoffs". Dexerto. Retrieved July 4, 2025.
  10. ↑ Garmer, Sean (December 18, 2025). "Turn 10 Studios Officially Shifts to Forza Horizon 6, Announces No More New Content for Forza Motorsport". The Outerhaven. Retrieved July 11, 2026.
  11. ↑ Kerry, Ben (March 20, 2026). "Forza Horizon 6 Dev Explains How Turn 10 Has Helped Since Dropping 2023's Forza Motorsport". Pure Xbox. Retrieved July 11, 2026.
  12. ↑ Maas, Jennifer (September 22, 2026). "Xbox Lay Offs Continue With 268 Employees Cut; Activision to Develop Next 'Halo' Game as Part of Studio Reorg". Variety. Retrieved September 22, 2026.