Dan Greenawalt, a key figure in the creation of the Forza racing franchise, is reportedly planning to leave Microsoft. Greenawalt, who served as studio head for Forza Motorsport developer Turn 10 Studios, has been with the company for nearly 27 years. His departure was reportedly communicated in an internal memo from Playground Games' Trevor Williams, who stated that Greenawalt has decided it is the right time for him to retire and will remain as an advisor during a transition period.
Greenawalt's tenure began with the development of Project Gotham Racing on the original Xbox in 2001, and he went on to found Turn 10 Studios. He was a prominent figure in the series' history, often appearing at industry events like E3. Williams expressed gratitude for Greenawalt's leadership, support, and partnership over his nearly three decades at Microsoft.
This reported departure comes amidst a larger restructuring within Xbox's racing game development teams. Microsoft announced in September that Turn 10 and Playground Games, the developers behind the Forza Motorsport and Forza Horizon series respectively, would be merged into a single entity. This consolidation is part of broader layoffs and organizational changes within Xbox, which also include the merger of Obsidian Entertainment into Bethesda and placing Activision in charge of the Halo franchise. A former developer suggested last year that the Forza Motorsport series had been sidelined following prior cuts at Microsoft, with Turn 10 shifting to a support role for Forza Horizon.