By Rearview mirror
- by Sammy Barker
In the realm of console competition, the clash between sim racers Gran Turismo and Forza Motorsport was once a significant theatre.
PlayStation’s leading franchise has certainly always received tremendous focus thanks to its legacy on the PS1 and PS2; however, there was a time on the PS3 when it began to lose its advantage.
Numerous players preferred Forza Motorsport, particularly in contrast to the frequently delayed Gran Turismo 5, which struggled notably with erratic presentation and underdeveloped elements. (Do you recall those legacy PS2 vehicle models?)
Fast forward to the present, and there’s no genuine competition left: Gran Turismo 7 made a significant comeback, while Forza Motorsport’s protracted development reboot for Xbox Series X|S greatly underachieved, ranking 463rd in the UK’s sales charts in the year of its launch.
It appears that Xbox’s sim racer may now have exhausted its options.
This week’s reports disclosed that nearly 50% of developer Turn 10’s personnel were laid off amidst Xbox’s grave wave of layoffs, and now a past developer, Fred Russell, has stated “the team is no longer in existence.”
It’s important to highlight that Russell left the studio prior to this recent batch of layoffs, although he will likely still maintain ties to the team.
Nonetheless, here is his complete remark:
“Turn 10 has closed down the Forza Motorsport division and the team is no longer in existence. A truly sorrowful day for one of the finest car racing video games. I cherished my time there.”
Microsoft, naturally, has redirected the franchise’s attention towards the more arcade-like open-world sub-series Forza Horizon, which has been performing exceptionally well on PS5 recently.
We assume, with Gran Turismo 7 already leading the more serious racing category on PS5, and with options for enthusiasts like iRacing on PC, there simply is no longer a niche for the Forza Motorsport brand.
The remaining personnel at Turn 10 will probably continue to support the Forza Horizon franchise, which is anticipated to receive a sixth installment in 2026.
Yet, this appears to be a lamentable conclusion for a series that, for several years at least, pushed Gran Turismo to excel to its fullest potential.
[source facebook.com, via resetera.com, purexbox.com]
As the Editor at Push Square, Sammy possesses over 15 years of expertise evaluating the PlayStation landscape, spanning from PS3 to PS5 and all that lies in between. He is an authority on PS Studios and industry affairs, alongside sports games and simulators. He also delights in RPGs when he can allocate time for them, and is somewhat of a gacha whale.