Forza director, who’d been with Turn 10 for 27 years leaves Microsoft, following studios merger with Playground Games
Dan Greenawalt, a founder and vice president of Turn 10 Studios, has left Microsoft after 27 years, saying it is the right time to retire. His departure comes as Turn 10 merges with Playground Games, bringing the teams together to work on the Forza and Fable franchises.
Greenawalt helped ship Project Gotham Racing for the original Xbox in 2001, founded Turn 10 and led the creation of Forza. The wider Xbox restructuring earlier this year included 3,200 job cuts and four studio closures; Playground Games’ studio head thanked Greenawalt for his leadership and contribution to both teams.
In short
- Dan Greenawalt has retired from Microsoft after 27 years.
- He founded Turn 10 and helped create the Forza franchise.
- Turn 10 and Playground Games are merging to work on Forza and Fable.
Explained simply
Turn 10 Studios and Playground Games are video game developers owned by Microsoft. Turn 10 created the Forza racing series, while Playground Games is known for Forza Horizon and the Fable role-playing games.
Dan Greenawalt helped establish Turn 10 and lead the development of Forza, after working on an earlier Xbox racing game. The studios are now being brought together to work across their games, as Microsoft makes wider changes to its Xbox operations.
The change matters because the two teams have helped shape major Xbox game series, and their combined work may affect how those games are developed. Greenawalt’s departure follows a long period of leadership at Turn 10.
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