Microsoft Is Combining Two Game Studios to Focus on Horizon and Fable
Microsoft is merging two of its game studios into one. The combined team will focus on the Forza and Fable game series, with work centered on Forza Horizon and Fable, as reported by The Verge.
Remaining staff at Turn 10 Studios will move to Playground Games. They will work on Forza Horizon and Fable. Playground Games makes Forza Horizon, a driving game set on open roads. Turn 10 Studios created Forza Motorsport, a driving game set on race tracks.
The change puts the two Forza makers under one roof. That one group is now assigned to Horizon and Fable.
Microsoft describes the merger as part of a larger Xbox reorganization. It follows cuts last year in which more than 70 people at Turn 10 were laid off.
The two studios have worked together before. They worked together on Forza Horizon 2, as documented by Xbox. They also jointly showed the first Forza Horizon 2 gameplay on Xbox One.
After last year's cuts, Microsoft said Turn 10 and Playground Games will continue to support Forza Motorsport and Forza Horizon 5, as reported by GamesIndustry.biz. The new plan keeps Forza Horizon alongside Fable. Remaining Turn 10 staff will join Playground instead of working as a separate studio.
Playground Games is a U.K.-based studio, as noted by Bloomberg. Microsoft acquired Playground Games, as reported by Variety.
The broader context here is simple shop management. Supporting two game series plus updates for older games splits managers, hiring plans and testing. It is like running two kitchens with one staff. One studio can plan hiring, deadlines and updates through one chain of command.
In my view, this follows a pattern I have seen often. Studios grow to handle a second series, then narrow when updates and new games need the same people. I watched my own children learn the difference between Motorsport and Horizon by feel. Keeping one racing series strong while building a large fantasy game like Fable is already a full job. A combined team focused on Horizon and Fable has room to give both steady care, and that tends to mean better tools and more polished games over time.
