Microsoft appears to be abandoning the Xbox One platform with the release of Forza Motorsport. While the console maker has been keen to continue supporting last-gen consoles across the past few years, that support appears to be over.
Recently revealed at the recent Xbox and Bethesda Developer Direct, the upcoming racing game was expected to be a cross-gen release. However, Xbox has revealed that the game will only be natively playable on Xbox Series consoles, leaving last-gen users behind.
On the Forza Motorsport support page, Turn 10 Studios revealed that the new game will only release on Xbox Series consoles and PC. As the game has been “built from the ground up” for the next-gen machines, it will not be ported down to Xbox One consoles.
However, there will be a way for Xbox players to enjoy the game on last-gen machines. Those with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate will be able to stream the next-gen game via Xbox Cloud Gaming on the older consoles.
Of course, this means that last-gen users will need very good internet to consistently stream the upcoming racing game. Furthermore, they will need to have a constant subscription to the Xbox subscription service to keep playing.
Forza Motorsport is not the first Xbox game to abandon last-gen machines. In fact, just last week, Xbox stealth-dropped its new exclusive Hi-Fi Rush. While fans expected it to be a cross-gen release, the new action game only released on Series consoles and PC. Furthermore, Xbox’s next exclusive Redfall won’t release on Xbox One.
It looks like Microsoft is giving up on supporting the Xbox One with new exclusives. While the consoles will still be supported with first-party titles, the 10-year-old Xbox One is finally riding off into the sunset. However, at least Game Pass subscribers will be able to use the machines as next-gen game streaming boxes.