Xbox has confirmed another major change to its first-party studio structure, with Playground Games and Turn 10 Studios officially merging into a single development studio.
The consolidation brings the two teams responsible for the modern Forza franchise under one roof. While both studios have worked within the same franchise for years, they previously operated as separate developers with their own projects, locations, and responsibilities.
The merger is part of Microsoft’s continued restructuring of Xbox and its development studios, with several teams being reorganized or consolidated.
Playground Games and Turn 10 Are Now One Studio
Playground Games is based in England and is best known for developing the Forza Horizon series. The studio transformed the Horizon games into one of Xbox’s biggest franchises, offering open-world environments while retaining the driving foundations of Forza.
Turn 10 Studios, based in Redmond, Washington, has traditionally been responsible for the main Forza Motorsport series.
That separation is now changing.
Rather than Playground Games and Turn 10 operating as independent studios responsible for different branches of Forza, Xbox is formally combining the developers into one organization.
The move should allow developers from both sides of the franchise to work more closely together, although Microsoft has not yet explained exactly how individual development teams or projects will be structured following the merger.
Forza and Fable Will Continue
One of the biggest questions surrounding any Xbox restructuring is what happens to the games currently being developed by the affected studios.
According to an internal memo from Xbox executive Matt Booty, the newly combined studio will continue working on both Forza and Fable.
That means the merger is not simply about bringing the Forza Horizon and Forza Motorsport developers together. Playground Games’ work on the Fable franchise also remains part of the combined studio’s responsibilities.
For Forza, however, the change is particularly significant.
For years, Xbox essentially had two dedicated Forza developers. Turn 10 concentrated on the more traditional circuit-racing experience of Forza Motorsport, while Playground Games developed the open-world Forza Horizon series.
The developers will now operate as one cohesive studio rather than two separate organizations.
What Happens to Forza Motorsport and Forza Horizon?
Microsoft has not provided enough information yet to determine how the merger will affect the individual Forza series.
There is currently no confirmation that Forza Motorsport and Forza Horizon will be combined, nor has Xbox announced that either branch of the franchise is being discontinued.
The confirmed change concerns the studios themselves.
Combining Playground Games and Turn 10 could allow Xbox to share technology, developers and other resources more easily between future Forza projects. However, until Microsoft explains the new development structure, anything beyond that remains speculation.
The future of Fable also makes the situation more interesting, as the combined studio will effectively be responsible for both Xbox’s major racing franchise and its revived fantasy RPG series.
Another Major Xbox Restructuring Move
The merger arrives as Microsoft continues reorganizing its Xbox development operations.
Instead of maintaining Playground Games and Turn 10 as completely separate studios, Microsoft is consolidating the teams while keeping their major franchises in active development.
For players, the important part is that Forza and Fable remain explicitly included in the combined studio’s plans.
What remains unknown is what the studio itself will eventually be called.
Xbox has not yet confirmed whether the combined developer will retain the Playground Games name, the Turn 10 Studios name, use both brands, or receive an entirely new identity.
Until Microsoft provides additional details, Playground Games and Turn 10 Studios have effectively entered a new chapter together, ending the long-standing separation between the two studios behind Xbox’s Forza franchise.
