After four years on sale, Forza Horizon 2 is set to be removed from the Microsoft Store as of September 30. A weird bit of news that was made by Turn 10's Brian Ekberg as part of a recent All Things Forza-themed update. No reason was given, but speculation points to a limited licensing deal - probably with Lamborghini - that means a four-year life-span for each entry in the Forza Horizon series.
The statement,
made here, is as follows:
A heads up for the Forza community: Forza Horizon 2 will reach “end of life” status on September 30. That means that the game and its associated DLC will no longer be available for purchase. After September 30, players who own Forza Horizon 2 will still able to download and play the game and its associated content as normal. However, Forza Horizon 2 and its DLC will no longer be for sale. Forza Horizon 2 is currently available as part of August Games With Gold so, if you haven’t played it already, now is a great time to grab it.
Which gives us a good reason as to why Forza Horizon 2 was included as part of this month's free Games with Gold. This also means that the excellent and series defining Forza Horizon 3 might share a similar fate - which would be a shame, as it's the sort of racing title that fans and players should be discovering for many years to come. With the Horizon series getting its fourth installment this year, the open world racer has never been so popular. So yeah, here's hoping this four year licensing thing doesn't continue just as the series fully embraces its online potential.