Microsoft has announced that they will be removing Forza Horizon 4 from digital storefronts on December 15.
This isn’t the first time Microsoft has taken such action. Previous Forza titles, such as Forza Motorsport 7 on September 15, 2021, and Forza Horizon 3 on September 27, 2020, were also removed from being purchasable.
The main goal of discontinuing support for these games is to encourage players to buy the latest releases, such as the 2023 live service game “Forza Motorsport.”
Playground Games announced on their site that sales of the 2018 open-world racer are ending due to licensing and partner agreements. The game will be removed from Microsoft’s store and Valve’s Steam platform on December 15, 2024, and Xbox Game Pass holders will no longer have access to the game.
In preparation for its delisting, Playground Games has unveiled its final roadmap for Forza Horizon 4. The final series will begin on July 25 and end on August 22. After this period, the playlist screen will no longer be accessible, but fans can still access the Forza Events screen and participate in a selection of daily and weekly challenges to earn Forzathon Points.
Additionally, Playground Games is delisting the Forza Horizon 4 DLC starting today. The Fortune Island and Lego DLCs will no longer be available for purchase. After today, only the Standard, Deluxe, and Ultimate versions of the game will remain available for purchase.
For those looking to buy Forza Horizon 4 before it disappears, Playground Games has announced various discounts, including a sale on the Xbox Store on July 14th. However, you will likely need to source a key from a third party, where prices have probably surged due to this announcement.
That said, spending a high amount on a nearly six-year-old game is retarded, especially considering that pirating the game and potentially accessing its online functionality is an option. The Horizon series has become a simplistic and globalized entity, throwing exotic vehicles at players as if they were worthless, void of any single player campaign mode.
In today’s gaming landscape, consumers don’t truly own the media they purchase. While Microsoft is delisting the game from sale, those who already own it will still be able to play it, though this isn’t much of an excuse considering how they can and will at some point down the line opt to terminate its online multiplayer services.
Effectively making the open world racing game pointless to play as the only sort of limited interactions you’d have while playing a modern Forza title comes merely by playing with friends or randoms.
