Forza Motorsport Placed on Life Support as Microsoft Confirms No More Updates Planned

[Populuxe]

It’s a pipe dream and I know it won’t happen, but I’d love to see a game developer buy the Motorsport franchise and relaunch 8 (after addressing the things that turned off players in the first place, of course.)

 

[Nacho Libre]

It’s a pipe dream and I know it won’t happen, but I’d love to see a game developer buy the Motorsport franchise and relaunch 8 (after addressing the things that turned off players in the first place, of course.)

Alternatively, how about someone else acquires a license to the Forzatech engine? For example Raiza is doing great stuff with Automobilista 2 using the now ancient Madness engine and sure could use the upgrade.

 

[GroupB]

Spare a thought for the PGR series, which got buried to make way for FM, which itself is now dead.

 

[PorscheHD]

Its a shame, if Xbox want me back they need a Motorsport title otherwise i have to stay with a PlayStation.

Loved the Motorsport reboot ( it was not perfect) but i just cant race 3rd person in GT and thats why i loved Motorsport. Horizon is not for me, dont like open world race games.

Just a shame.

 

[VXR]

Maybe they should rest Horizon and get PGG to reboot PGR. It's about time Microsoft do something else than the same old three franchises ad nauseum.

 

[whannel]

How hard can it be to make the handling a bit better and add more tracks, is their AI not capable of the basics yet?

Quite enjoying PMR from its recent sale, looks better which surprised me, sharper anyway. Really reminds me of FM but the more I dial in settings the better it gets. No ACC, but a reasonable FM replacement.

Someone should compare the graphics, shame this new studio to finish what they promised in their trailer, one of the reasons I bought an Xbox.

 

[Quakebass]

Well this sucks. Most of the Xbox game studios are about 25-40 minutes from me, and what used to be a lot of home-grown gaming gems in the area has been getting scrapped for parts and crushed into insane developer crunch workloads. There were annual car shows in the garage next to T10’s offices, and a weekly meet at the town center often saw seasoned employees bringing their toys out.

As much of a mess Halo has been for the last ~12 years, the bones of Bungie and 343 being sold off and being replaced by Activision is a travesty - they’re arguably one of the most predatory, evil studios/publishers, rivaling EA, 2K, and Ubisoft at their worst. Microsoft is known for brutal contract labor, and any respectable seasoned creatives that were at either of those studios are likely about to be put through meat grinders, if they even have job offers.

None of this had to happen, I think a lot of corporate and suits have been getting in the way of a lot of creative vision. It sucks to no longer have any major racing franchises in my back yard.

 

[Johnny Caisse]

I just hope there could be something to replace Forza Motorsport but if there is I'd be very, very wary about it.

 

[JC_Dude]

Shame. I firmly believe Forza Motorsport was a big reason behind PD pulling their heads out of their backsides and doing a proper reset with GT Sport, which eventually ended up in GT7, which is a far better, more cohesive game than the messes that were GT5 and 6. Less competition is never a good thing.

 

[rikiflsh_99]

I don't think it's unreasonable to keep both Motorsport/Horizon franchises if they alternate the releases. We don't need a new Horizon game every two years. If they share the team, technology, expertise and part of the content between the two series, both of them can be carried forward efficiently, I believe. But surely the future for Motorsport looks uncertain, which is a shame especially if we consider that the majority of big arcade racing games are just horizon clones.

 

[danimac]

Honestly, I don’t play it but it’s still sad times man. Now who’s going to be compared to GT, AC, iracing etc for car sounds, graphics, details videos lol.

 

[evldave333]

Sad for the folks who enjoyed this one, capitalism is ruining gaming, and good developers careers to boot.

 

[Betty blue]

I blame the " Racing community " for the demise of racing games not the developers. The aggressive tribalism towards one game or a console and the endless comparisons to the tiniest detail!

Let alone that every release has to be high end simulator!

To me, FM8 was not perfect, but was harshly crucified by players. This outcome was sadly expected!

 

[juanffy18]

And we will see what happens next if Fable doesn't work at all and the Horizon franchise gets stuck in the future. And Horizon 6 right now is the perfect example of franchise fatigue.

 

[Rodster]

I've been a fan of both Gran Turismo as well as Forza Motorsport since the 1st installments. The sad part is that competition is good because it pushes the other side to make a better product.

 

[Rodster]

I blame the " Racing community " for the demise of racing games not the developers. The aggressive tribalism towards one game or a console and the endless comparisons to the tiniest detail!

Let alone that every release has to be high end simulator!

To me, FM8 was not perfect, but was harshly crucified by players. This outcome was sadly expected!

Totally agree. FM8 may not have had the best start but by the end it was a solid title.

Sad for the folks who enjoyed this one, capitalism is ruining gaming, and good developers careers to boot.

It's a reflection on the industry as a whole. Both PlayStation and XBOX are steering into strong headwinds and it is reflected in negative comments made by their customers. The high cost of videogame development and now the ever increasing prices of consoles will no doubt have an impact on next-gen consoles.

 

[The Chosen One]

I blame the " Racing community " for the demise of racing games not the developers. The aggressive tribalism towards one game or a console and the endless comparisons to the tiniest detail!

Let alone that every release has to be high end simulator!

To me, FM8 was not perfect, but was harshly crucified by players. This outcome was sadly expected!

It’s not the fault of either of those parties. The devs did the best they could. The wider public did not know of the development hell until later. It’s squarely on Microsoft.

 

[JC_Dude]

Let alone that every release has to be high end simulator!

This is the big one. Arcade racers are dead, because everything that doesn't simulate driving to the smallest of detail is labelled as "garbage".

 

[KAlex122]

Any other "simcade" Gran Turismo competitors on the horizon? No matter the plattform. Seems there is no serious competitor that perfectly playable on controller as far as I know.

 

[MroczMR]

Any other "simcade" Gran Turismo competitors on the horizon? No matter the plattform. Seems there is no serious competitor that perfectly playable on controller as far as I know.

Only endurance motorsport or/and F1 games

Grid is dead, Forza Motorsport is dead, there were not many track racers with „simcade” driving model

 

[Nacho Libre]

Any other "simcade" Gran Turismo competitors on the horizon? No matter the plattform. Seems there is no serious competitor that perfectly playable on controller as far as I know.

Assetto Corsa EVO whenever they get their act together. Perfectly playable on controller up to it's latest update.

 

[breeminator]

Any other "simcade" Gran Turismo competitors on the horizon? No matter the plattform. Seems there is no serious competitor that perfectly playable on controller as far as I know.

AC Evo plays absolutely fine on a controller IMO, massively more enjoyable driving experience than GT7 or FM. Some might argue it isn't simcade, but what exactly are people looking for from "simcade" if not an enjoyable driving experience?

 

[ZedNinetySix]

His name is Matt Booty.

I repeat, his name is Matt Booty.

 

[Totoro87]

I blame the " Racing community " for the demise of racing games not the developers. The aggressive tribalism towards one game or a console and the endless comparisons to the tiniest detail!

Let alone that every release has to be high end simulator!

To me, FM8 was not perfect, but was harshly crucified by players. This outcome was sadly expected!

Not sure if I fully agree with everything but I certainly see where you’re coming from. Gamers can be hard to please and sometimes repeat even the most petty criticism ad nauseam. It’s a hobby. It’s supposed to be fun.

 

[ctdc67]

Xbox users are loosing an incredible franchise. The amount of vehicles in this game alone is super. The physics are good and the Graphics are great. Americans let the Japanese crush our space, so infuriating.

 

[Ryan81]

Looks like GT7 won't have any real competition on consoles. Assetto Corsa Evo won't be coming to consoles until 2028 at the earliest (if then) and so PMR and Rennsport are the two currently flying the flag for sim racers. Don't think GT7 has too much to worry about.

 

[Famine]

Xbox users are loosing an incredible franchise. The amount of vehicles in this game alone is super. The physics are good and the Graphics are great. Americans let the Japanese crush our space, so infuriating.

 

[CGT980]

Not sure if I fully agree with everything but I certainly see where you’re coming from. Gamers can be hard to please and sometimes repeat even the most petty criticism ad nauseam. It’s a hobby. It’s supposed to be fun.

I can agree about the part on people being hard to please. It goes without saying that you're never going to please everyone. As for the criticism Motorsport 2023 garnered, it's one of those instances where the criticism was warranted. No matter how you slice it, the end product that was delivered after all the hype & marketing that the game was going to be built from the ground-up is inexcusable. The same goes for the messy state the game was in at launch, and how bare bones the game felt compared to what Motorsport could've been.

However, with that being said:

It’s not the fault of either of those parties. The devs did the best they could. The wider public did not know of the development hell until later. It’s squarely on Microsoft.

This cannot be stressed enough. You can't blame customers for being upset over not being given what was promised, and for seeing how horribly Motorsport has been left neglected. You can't really blame the devs based on what we know of Microsoft's scummy hiring practices where they only hire devs on an 18-month basis, plus despite all the BS that comes from corporate meddling, they actually deserve a lot of praise for doing the best they could to salvage the game and make it better for us.

The blame really falls squarely on the shoulders of Microsoft, and if the accounts are true that the game was scrapped mid-development and the devs were forced to recycle assets, then that's an indictment on how little they truly cared for Motorsport. It's like they wanted it to fail so they'd have the perfect excuse to bury it.

 

[Totoro87]

I can agree about the part on people being hard to please.

Hard to please and not one for letting go. I get that people get disappointed when a game doesn’t meet expectations. I don’t get how some turn it into the worst thing ever and keep on repeating their criticism.

That’s all.

Didn’t mean to comment on whether people were righteously upset about FM in general.

 

[Auditore]

i blame MS, their contractor hiring practices messed with development