Dan Greenawalt, a 27-year veteran at Microsoft and the creative force behind the Forza Motorsport series, is retiring from the company. Greenawalt was a key figure in founding Turn 10 Studios and directed all eight Forza Motorsport titles across four Xbox console generations.
Playground Games studio head Trevor Williams confirmed Greenawalt's departure in an internal memo, noting his significant impact since shipping Project Gotham Racing on the original Xbox in 2001. "It’s hard to overstate Dan’s impact over the past 27 years," Williams stated. "From shipping Project Gotham Racing on the original Xbox in 2001 to leading the creation of Forza, founding Turn 10 Studios and appearing so many times on our E3 stage, usually making a dramatic entrance with a supercar in tow."
Greenawalt's retirement follows a period of significant changes at Turn 10 Studios. The studio was merged with Forza Horizon developer Playground Games last month as part of broader Xbox restructuring. Last year, Turn 10 experienced layoffs, and reports suggest the remaining staff have been redirected to support the Forza Horizon series, with the 2023 Forza Motorsport title now unlikely to receive further new content. Forza Motorsport games have historically garnered critical acclaim, with each installment scoring 8 out of 10 or higher from IGN.