Dan Greenawalt retires from Microsoft after 27 years at Turn 10 Studios

Dan Greenawalt, vice president and studio head at Turn 10 Studios, is retiring from Microsoft after 27 years at the company, Oct. 29, 2026. The departure follows the consolidation of Turn 10 Studios and Playground Games under Xbox, with the combined studio operating under the Playground Games brand and maintaining development offices in Leamington Spa and Redmond. Greenawalt’s exit comes amid an ongoing restructuring and “reset” at Xbox.

An internal document obtained by The Verge confirms that Dan Greenawalt has decided to retire from Microsoft. The memo states that Greenawalt decided this was the right time to retire after nearly three decades of service. “Dan Greenawalt has decided that this is the right time for him to retire from Microsoft,” said Playground Games studio head Trevor Williams.

During the transition period, Greenawalt will provide advisory support to Playground Games chief operating officer Michel Bastien and Trevor Williams before leaving. Greenawalt held the title of vice president and studio head at Turn 10 Studios before retiring after 27 years at Microsoft.

Greenawalt helped release Project Gotham Racing on the original Xbox in 2001. He built Turn 10 Studios from the ground up. He directed eight Forza Motorsport titles across four Xbox console generations. Every Forza Motorsport game overseen by Greenawalt received a score of 8 out of 10 or higher from IGN.

Trevor Williams, studio head at Playground Games, praised Greenawalt’s 27-year legacy at Microsoft, stating that his impact is difficult to overstate. Williams acknowledged Greenawalt’s contributions in an internal memo. Williams thanked Greenawalt on behalf of both teams for his leadership, support, and partnership, and wished him well.

“It’s hard to overstate Dan’s impact over the past 27 years,” Williams said. “Es ist schwer, Dans Einfluss in den vergangenen 27 Jahren angemessen zu beschreiben,” Williams said. “Trudno przecenić ogromny wpływ Dana na przestrzeni minionych 27 lat,” Williams said.

Turn 10 Studios experienced a major reduction in force last year, laying off approximately 70 employees. Following the layoffs, the remaining Turn 10 staff were reportedly assigned to support duties for the highly profitable Forza Horizon franchise.

Before their reassignment to Playground Games, the remaining Turn 10 staff spent recent months primarily supporting Forza Motorsport. The remaining Turn 10 staff were officially reassigned to Playground Games, where they are contributing to Forza Horizon and the upcoming Fable game.

The 2023 Forza Motorsport title will not receive any further content updates or new downloadable content. Industry reports project the 2023 game as the final installment in the simulation racing series for the foreseeable future, and possibly of all time.

There has been little news about Forza Motorsport since the series’ 2023 entry. Microsoft has not officially confirmed that it is discontinuing the Forza Motorsport series. Dan Greenawalt was one of Turn 10 Studios’ most prominent public figures and regularly spoke with media outlets, including Shacknews, throughout his time leading the studio.