Turn 10 Studios has recently announced that the first two Forza Horizon games (Forza Horizon 1 and Forza Horizon 2) will go offline starting on August 22 according to Gamespot. While they note that players will still be able to play the single-player modes of the game, the multiplayer options will no longer be available at that time.
Elaborating further on the last point, in a blog post written by Turn 10 Studios on June 23, the team mentions that while the single-player experience will remain in tact, online functionality such as matchmaking, leaderboards and browsing/downloading of online User Generated Content will not be available starting from August 22.
It is also important to note that Forza Horizon 2 Presents Fast & Furious will also be going offline. Though these games will be available for redownload if you have already purchased them in the past.
It seems as though the primary reason for these games going offline is so that the studio can focus on their more current games. With the Forza Horizon series having five entries in the series already, it makes sense that it would be difficult to maintain the online compatibility with all of the games, especially if most of these player-bases are probably also focusing on the newer versions of the game.
Turn 10 Studios expressed their joy about the games’ lives and success in the blog post stating:
“We know our community has fond memories of exploring Colorado and Southern Europe in Forza Horizon 1 and 2, from meeting new friends on road trips to sharing liveries, photos and tunes, and we thank you all for your incredible passion, support and dedication over the last decade.”
With the team shutting down online for Forza Horizon 1 and 2, it will be interesting to see if this means that there will be a heavier focus on potential upcoming projects in the future.