Forza Motorsport is taking a back seat as Xbox focuses on games releasing sooner, Phil Spencer says

Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer has assured Forza Motorsport fans that the series isn’t going anywhere, but notes that there won’t be a new entry any time soon.

In an interview with Famitsu, which took place before the announcement that a remake of the first Halo is coming to all formats, Spencer was asked if the Halo and Forza Motorsport series had come to an end.

Spencer replied that this definitely wasn’t the case, but stressed that Forza Motorsport wasn’t quite as ready for a return yet because Xbox is focused on titles that are closer to release.

“No! Halo Studios (formerly 343 Industries) is planning for the future to pursue new initiatives,” he explained (via machine translation). “We’re focusing on Unreal Engine 5 and investing in new technologies.

“We’re setting up a system that allows them to take the time needed, make the investment befitting the Halo franchise, and create something great as the next new entry in the Halo series.”

Turning to Forza Motorsport, Spencer acknowledged that around half its studio Turn 10 had been laid off as part of sweeping cuts made at Microsoft in July, and explained that while the series is still active, development is going at slower pace while Xbox pays more attention to games nearer completion.

“Regarding Forza Motorsport, sometimes we need to shift focus to games that need to ship sooner,” Spencer said. “We understand the reaction many had when we scaled back Turn 10 Studios.

“We have many games we want to support with care, and sometimes we give development teams more time to avoid putting them under constant strain. Our current structure, with multiple studios, allows for this flexibility.

“Xbox Game Studios encompasses over 20 studios, each with multiple games in development, and each requiring different levels of support. Some projects require a short-term focus, while others demand a medium-to-long-term perspective. We genuinely want the games we publish to succeed. Xbox Game Studios has numerous titles in development, so please stay tuned for what’s coming.”

The Forza series consists of Forza Motorsport – which is a more serious, realistic racing simulator similar to Sony‘s Gran Turismo titles – and the open-world Forza Horizon, which started as a spin-off but has become the series’ central focus over the years.

The latest game in the ‘main’ series, which was simply titled Forza Motorsport, was released in 2023 and served as a reboot of the series. The game has since received 22 free updates, many of which have included new tracks, vehicles and other improvements.

However, following the news in July that Turn 10 had suffered numerous layoffs as part of Microsoft’s cuts, former employee Fred Russell claimed on his Facebook page that Turn 10 had “shuttered the Forza Motorsport space and the team is no more”, suggesting it was now acting as a support studio for Forza Horizon.

Spencer’s latest comments may give hope to fans of the series that another game could be released at some point in the future, though it doesn’t appear this will happen any time soon.

VGC’s Forza Motorsport review called it “a stunning racer with a one-track mind”, calling it “the best in the series to date when it comes to the look and feel of serious motorsport racing”, but criticising the relative lack of modes and tracks at launch.