Forza Motorsport's developers, Turn 10 Studios, have been hit with a huge wave of layoffs as part of a wider reduction across Microsoft's gaming division. According to reports, around half of Turn 10's staff has been laid off, with more than 70 employees affected.
The cuts were delivered in a call with Microsoft HR earlier this week and are part of a bigger restructuring effort in which Microsoft could slash around 9,000 jobs across various departments. Xbox's gaming arm alone is around 20% of that total.
Turn 10's situation is particularly significant. Since its inception, the studio has been responsible for Forza Motorsport and also plays a major role in the ForzaTech engine used by Playground Games' Forza Horizon and the upcoming Fable reboot.
One confirmed departure is of audio director Mile Caviezel, who recently rejoined the team after working at Polyphony Digital.
Phil Spencer, Microsoft Gaming CEO, stated the changes are aimed at focusing on strategic growth areas and increasing agility; however, the timing feels off. These cuts come despite the gaming division reporting a 5% year-on-year revenue increase in Q3.
With these severe cuts in manpower, it's uncertain whether Turn 10 will be able to make another full-scale Forza Motorsport title or simply maintain the current one until its end of life.
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