Greenawalt leaves Turn 10: Forza Motorsport loses its chief ideologue

Almost 27 years at Microsoft — and now Dan Greenawalt announces his departure. The man who launched Turn 10 and all eight Forza Motorsport titles is stepping down amid the studio's merger with Playground Games, so the future of the simulator now looks uncertain.

Who is leaving

Dan Greenawalt's retirement from Microsoft was reported by Tom Warren of The Verge, citing an internal memo. He has spent nearly 27 years at the company: he had a hand in launching Project Gotham Racing on the original Xbox, and later became one of the founders of Turn 10 and director of eight Forza Motorsport titles, spanning all four Xbox generations.

Farewell words were shared by Playground Games head Trevor Williams: “Dan Greenawalt decided now is the right time to retire from Microsoft.” He also noted that the scale of Greenawalt's influence over these years is hard to overestimate — from his first steps in racing projects to multiple appearances on the E3 stage with a supercar.

Context: studio merger

The departure coincided with changes in Xbox's structure. Last month Playground Games, known for Forza Horizon, was merged with Turn 10 as part of a broader reset of the division. The combined team retains two locations — in Leamington Spa and Redmond.

The backdrop to the reorganization is difficult. A year earlier, Turn 10 went through layoffs, and those remaining were reportedly assigned a support role for Forza Horizon. No official announcement of a new Motorsport installment has followed in that time.

What now for Motorsport

Forza Motorsport (2023) was conceived as a long-lived platform intended to be developed through new content. However, according to IGN, there will be no additional content for it. The outlet cautiously notes: the game may be the last in the Motorsport line for the foreseeable future.

Still, it is too early to close the book: there are no official statements about ending the series, and talk of its fate remains estimates and speculation for now.