Microsoft has announced its plans to shut down Forza Horizon and Horizon 2 servers in two months. These two legendary racing games released on Xbox 360 and Xbox One will lose their online features on August 23, 2023.
According to a post published on the official Forza website, the primary reason to kill servers for the original and second-generation Forza Horizon is their small popularity among gamers. By shutting down online features, Turn 10 Studios can reallocate resources, focus on maintaining more recent installments of Forza Horizon, and invest in future games.
It is worth noting that turning off the online component in Forza Horizon 1 and Horizon 2 will not affect offline gameplay (also, Forza Horizon 3 and Horizon 4 will remain unaffected). Therefore, you can continue playing these classic racing games on your Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Xbox Series.
After the shutdown, you will lose access to matchmaking, leaderboards, and user-generated content, such as liveries, vinyls, tuning setups, and photos.
The original Forza Horizon was released on Xbox 360 in late 2012. Unlike its simulation-focused Forza Motorsport counterpart, it was a more casual racing game with a large map located in Colorado, USA. Players could drive across the open-world map and participate in various racing events.
In 2014, Microsoft and Turn 10 Studio released Forza Horizon 2 on Xbox One and Xbox 360. The car festival moved from the USA to Europe, bringing next-gen graphics, more modes, fresh cars, and other improvements.
Like its predecessor, Forza Horizon 2 scored positive reception, and it remains a beloved installment of the series until this day.
Here is what Turn 10 Studios has to say about its decision:
We know our community has fond memories of exploring Colorado and Southern Europe in Forza Horizon 1 and 2, from meeting new friends on road trips to sharing liveries, photos and tunes, and we thank you all for your incredible passion, support and dedication over the last decade.
You can learn more about the upcoming server shutdown on the official Forza website.
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