The Forza series, considered one of Xbox’s strongest and most exclusive franchises, has captured the spotlight with its historic success on the PlayStation 5 platform. Forza Horizon 5, a milestone for developer Playground Games and publisher Xbox Game Studios, broke the record by selling 2 million copies on PlayStation 5 in just one month after its April launch.

This ambitious figure was revealed on the updated LinkedIn profile of Harrison Bolin, one of the studio’s former game and level designers. Bolin’s career history demonstrates the immense enthusiasm the game has garnered from PS5 players, despite its release on Xbox nearly four years ago. Previous reports have confirmed this success; the game generated over $100 million in revenue for Microsoft upon its PS5 launch and was the platform’s best-selling game in May.

Forza Horizon 5 is selling like hotcakes

Forza Horizon 5’s groundbreaking performance is all the more significant given that it comes at a time when the racing game market is going through a turbulent period. According to recent industry reports, Electronic Arts’ legendary Need for Speed series has been shelved, and developer Criterion Games is shifting its focus entirely to the Battlefield series. Meanwhile, rumors of Sony reviving its beloved off-road racing series, MotorStorm, have yet to receive official confirmation. Amidst this competitive void, Forza appears to have made an unrivaled debut on the PlayStation platform.

However, behind this bright outlook, there are also signals of a significant strategic shift for the Forza brand. According to a former Turn 10 Studios employee, development of the Forza Motorsport sub-series, which represents the series’ simulation roots, has been halted following layoffs at the studio. This suggests that Microsoft and Playground Games are positioning the arcade-style, mass-market Horizon series as the brand’s primary future.

Forza Horizon 5’s triumph on PlayStation 5 signifies much more than just a single game. It’s not only a game-changer in 20 years of console competition, but it also reshapes the future of the racing genre and Microsoft’s strategy for its proprietary brands. Despite the uncertain future of the motorsport series, the Forza franchise, with Horizon at the helm, looks set to continue its momentum on new platforms.