Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft's gaming division, assured "Forza Motorsport" fans that the series will not disappear, but also emphasized that there will be no new games in the short term.
In an interview with Famitsu (which preceded the announcement of the original Halo remake coming to all platforms), Spencer was asked whether the Halo and Forza franchises had come to an end.
Spencer made it clear that's definitely not the case, but also noted that Forza won't be returning for the time being, as Xbox is currently focusing on those upcoming games.
"No! Halo Studios (formerly 343 Industries) is planning for the future and seeking new developments. We are focusing on the Unreal Engine 5 and investing in new technologies.
We're building a system that gives them the time and resources to build the next great Halo game."
When it comes to Forza, Spencer admitted that during Microsoft's massive layoffs in July, about half of the staff at Turn 10 Studios, which develops the series, were laid off.He explained that while the series is still in development, development is slowing down and Xbox is focusing more on games that are nearing completion.
"When it comes to Forza, there are times when we need to turn our attention to games that need to be released as quickly as possible. We understand the reaction when we downsize the Turn 10 studio.
We have a lot of games that require careful support, and sometimes we give development teams more time to avoid putting them under constant pressure.Our current structure, with multiple studios, enables this flexibility.
Xbox Game Studios has more than 20 studios, each developing multiple projects, and each project requires a different level of support.Some require short-term attention, while others require medium- to long-term investment.We really want every game we release to be successful.Xbox Game Studio currently has many new games in development, please stay tuned."
The latest game in the "Forza" series, "Forza Motorsport", was released in 2023. It is a reboot of the series and received poor response.The game has since received 22 free updates, many of which include new tracks, vehicles, and other improvements.
Following the news that Microsoft's layoffs led to a large number of Turn 10 layoffs in July, former employee Fred Russell stated on his personal FB page that Turn 10 "closed the development of Forza and the team no longer exists," implying that it is currently only an auxiliary studio for Forza Horizon.
Spencer's latest comments may give fans of the series hope that another game might be released at some point in the future, although it doesn't look like that's going to happen anytime soon.
