Microsoft is combining Playground Games and Turn 10 Studios into a single development team, a move that effectively closes Turn 10 and shifts its remaining staff to Playground Games. The consolidated studio will concentrate on the Forza and Fable franchises, according to an internal memo from Matt Booty, Xbox’s chief content officer.
A Decade of Partnership Becomes One Team
Playground Games and Turn 10 Studios have collaborated for more than ten years, with each studio contributing distinct strengths to the Forza brand. Playground Games is the developer behind Forza Horizon, while Turn 10 Studios created Forza Motorsport. Booty described the two studios as long-standing technological, creative, and franchise partners, and said the reorganization formally brings their work under one roof.
The change means the remaining Turn 10 staff will move to Playground Games, where they will work on Forza Horizon and Fable. Turn 10 Studios itself is closing, and its recent role had largely been limited to maintaining Forza Motorsport.
Forza Motorsport Faces an Uncertain Future
With Turn 10 shutting down and its staff absorbed into Playground Games, the future of Forza Motorsport is unclear. Microsoft may choose to focus on Forza Horizon instead, and it is possible the company will never return to the Motorsport line. The closure raises immediate questions about whether the simulation-focused franchise will continue at all.
The decision follows a difficult period for Turn 10. More than 70 staff members were laid off last year, a cut that affected the vast majority of the studio. Over the past year, the remaining team mainly maintained Forza Motorsport rather than developing new entries.
Part of a Wider Xbox Reset
The merger is one element of a larger restructuring across Xbox. Microsoft is laying off 268 Xbox staffers as part of the reset. In a separate but related shift, Activision is taking on the Halo franchise, with Rare and World’s Edge joining Halo under Activision. Rare is known for Sea of Thieves, while World’s Edge oversees Age of Empires.
Ninja Theory may also close as part of the same reorganization. The combined changes represent a significant realignment of Microsoft’s game development operations, touching multiple studios and franchises at once.
What the Merger Means for Players
For now, the clearest outcome is that Playground Games will house the talent behind both Forza Horizon and Fable, while Turn 10 ceases to exist as a separate entity. Whether Forza Motorsport returns remains an open question. The restructuring signals that Microsoft is prioritizing certain franchises and consolidating resources around them, but the long-term strategy for the Motorsport series has not been clarified.
