Dan Greenawalt Leaves Microsoft After 27 Years as Turn 10 Closes

Dan Greenawalt, the co-founder of Turn 10 Studios and the driving force behind Microsoft’s racing game legacy for nearly three decades, has left the company. His departure coincides with the dissolution of Turn 10 as an independent studio, which has now been absorbed into Playground Games and rebranded as Playground Games Redmond, according to Gamekult.

A Career Built Before the Xbox Even Existed

Greenawalt’s connection to Microsoft racing games predates the Xbox itself. In the late 1990s, he worked as a software engineer on titles like Monster Truck Madness, Motocross Madness, and Midtown Madness, a trio of PC games that pushed the boundaries of physics engines and open-world exploration at the time. He later contributed to Project Gotham Racing, the flagship racing title that launched alongside the original Xbox in 2001, which was developed by Bizarre Creations.

After shipping Rallisport Challenge in 2002, Greenawalt hit a career-defining milestone in 2005 when he directed the first Forza Motorsport, a franchise that would spend years positioning itself as the main Xbox rival to PlayStation’s Gran Turismo series. He directed the series through Forza Motorsport 4 before stepping into the creative director role for the broader franchise in 2012, as reported by Gamekult.

The Decision That Reshaped Xbox Racing Forever

One of Greenawalt’s most consequential calls came when Playground Games first approached Microsoft with a concept. The British studio’s original pitch was a reboot of Project Gotham Racing, but Greenawalt redirected them toward an open-world vision for the Forza brand instead. The result was Forza Horizon, a spin-off that would eventually outgrow the mainline series in both popularity and commercial weight.

The irony of that decision became apparent after the Forza Motorsport reboot launched in 2023 to a poor reception, while Playground Games continued to build momentum. Turn 10 had already absorbed a significant round of layoffs in 2025, losing around 70 staff members, before the studio’s full merger into Playground Games was confirmed, as detailed by Gamekult. The newly combined team will focus on Forza Horizon and Fable going forward.

An Internal Farewell from Playground’s Leadership

Playground Games head Trevor Williams acknowledged Greenawalt’s exit with a statement shared internally and reported by The Verge’s Tom Warren via Gamekult. Williams credited Greenawalt with shaping a 27-year arc that spanned the launch of Project Gotham Racing, the founding of Turn 10, years of E3 appearances often involving a supercar entrance, and the creative direction of the Forza franchise. Williams extended thanks on behalf of both studio teams and wished him well in his next chapter. Greenawalt’s own plans have not been disclosed.

Sources: Gamekult