Forza director, who’d been with Turn 10 for 27 years leaves Microsoft, following studios merger with Playground Games
Dan Greenawalt, the founder and director of Turn 10 Games, has departed from Microsoft after 27 years with the studio. The departure comes as part of a broader restructuring at Xbox that includes the merger of Turn 10 with Playground Games under the new name Playground Games Redmond.
Greenawalt’s departure marks the end of an era at Turn 10, where he had been instrumental since the studio’s earliest days. He worked on the original Xbox title Project Gotham Racing in 2001 before leading the creation of the Forza franchise, establishing Turn 10 as one of the industry’s premier racing game developers. Over his tenure, he oversaw the development of eight Forza titles that became flagship franchises for Xbox.
The studio merge is part of Xbox’s larger restructuring initiative announced earlier this year, which saw significant organizational changes including 3,200 layoffs across the division and the closure of four studios. The consolidation of Turn 10 and Playground Games represents Microsoft’s effort to streamline its gaming operations, combining two major racing game developers under unified leadership.
In an internal memo, Playground Games studio head Trevor Williams noted the significance of Greenawalt’s contributions, describing his 27-year legacy at the company. Greenawalt’s retirement marks a major transition for the Forza franchise and its development team as they enter this new chapter under the Playground Games brand.