The Forza franchise has surely cemented itself as many Xbox One fans’ racing game of choice on the Microsoft platform. The series is often used by Microsoft to display the power of their Xbox consoles, and Playground Games has shown diligence in keeping players interested in the game long after launch with expansions. Now, it appears that the Forza developer will be expanding in a whole new way, as it appears to be launching a new studio that will create a game that does not involve car racing.

A new report by GamesIndustry.biz shares statements given to the site by Playground Games about their new development studio which will be located in Warwickshire, England, the same area that the developer’s headquarters are located. This studio will begin with a new project, which will feature an open world, but will not be a racing game. Playground Games found and creative director Ralph Fulton hopes that this new undertaking will test their company with a new genre, by saying:

We feel like we’ve become pretty good at racing games over the years. We can always get better, we can always strive to get better but we’d love to prove ourselves in a different genre. That’s another goal of Project 2, to allow us to do that.”

The developer currently has 115 employees on staff, and is looking to increase that headcount to somewhere around 200. However, the company is hoping to bring some of their current staff in their headquarters over to the new studio. No matter what happens, it is most likely fair to say that this new Playground Games studio will have a bright future in the (Forza) Horizon. What do you guys think about the new Forza developer studio opening up? What genre of game do you hope to see them make? Let us know in the comments below!

Be sure to stay tuned for the latest Xbox One news, such as the newly updated list of backwards compatible Xbox 360 games on Xbox One which includes the original Forza Horizon, here on Don’t Feed the Gamers!