Forza Horizon at this point is basically the 2nd biggest racing franchise after Mario Kart and Forza Motorsport from what we've seen did not do very well.

Incredible that people are unironically trying to justify these cancellations and layoffs. Who cares if these games were taking long, or were in rough shape, when that's entirely on Xbox leadership, and Microsoft could subsidize a $70B acquisition but not letting these projects finish in the next few years? Stop trying to find logic where there isn't any, they're cutting people who are the backbone of their stronger studios too. You guys are going to be complaining when you don't have anything to play in the next few years.

Think after today this will be the lowest point ever in terms of Xbox's brand image, even lower than the Xbox One debacle.

They can never go longer than a year without shredding all their goodwill and I think they've basically tipped themselves over the edge now, there's no coming back from this as a brand and they're about to move to PC which has some of the most vocal gamers and where brand image matters more than on console. What a complete fuck up.

What I said, all these cancellations basically guarantee that 2027-2028 will have fuck all releasing in them, Lol.

"Following Phil's note, I want to share more about the changes to the Studios business units.

We have made the decision to stop development of Perfect Dark and Everwild as well as wind down several unannounced projects across our portfolio. As part of this, we are closing one of our studios, The Initiative. These decisions, along with other changes across our teams, reflect a broader effort to adjust priorities and focus resources to set up our teams for greater success within a changing industry landscape. We did not make these choices lightly, as each project and team represent years of effort, imagination, and commitment.

Our overall portfolio strategy is unchanged: build games that excite our players, continue to grow our biggest franchises, and create new stories, worlds, and characters. We have more than 40 projects in active development, continued momentum on titles shipping this fall, and a strong slate headed into 2026.

For those directly affected, we are working closely with HR and studio leadership to provide support, including severance, career transition assistance, and where possible, opportunities to explore roles on other teams.

To everyone across our studios: thank you. Your creativity and resilience continue to define who we are. I believe in the strength of our teams and the direction we're taking on the path ahead."

Microsoft is closing down Xbox studio The Initiative, with Perfect Dark killed as well — joining Everwild and ZeniMax's IP, and other unannounced projects | Windows Central

This is probably why they're so focused on making the Xbox console a Windows-based device and creating a version of Windows into a console-like experience. Shred all this goodwill yet still be able to take advantage of the full Windows ecosystem.

Xbox/MS support Israel/Pro Gen AI. 9k layoffs. How the fuck does anyone want to support this shit brand and company anymore? It's time to stop supporting anything MS/Xbox; otherwise, you're just enabling them.

After they've torched their brand I can't see many people using the Windows Store now, Steam users will stick to Steam.