Which studio develops the Forza Horizon series?

Playground Games develops the Forza Horizon series. The British studio created the original Forza Horizon and has led development of the subsequent Horizon titles in collaboration with Microsoft’s wider Forza teams.

Playground Games was founded in 2010 in Leamington Spa, England, by Gavin Raeburn, Trevor Williams and Ralph Fulton. Its staff included developers with experience on racing franchises such as Project Gotham Racing, Colin McRae Rally, Driver and Burnout. That background helped shape Horizon’s blend of open-world driving, festival atmosphere and accessible arcade-style racing.

The first Forza Horizon was released in 2012, followed by Forza Horizon 2, 3, 4 and 5. Turn 10 Studios, the creator of Forza Motorsport, has provided additional support, which is why it is sometimes mistakenly identified as the Horizon developer. Turn 10 remains closely associated with the broader Forza franchise, but Playground Games is the studio responsible for developing the Horizon sub-series.

Microsoft acquired Playground Games in 2018, and the studio became part of Xbox Game Studios. It has also worked on the modern Fable project.