Forza 6 PC Won't Offer Cross-Play With Xbox One Edition and Here's Why

Following the announcement of Forza 6 Apex Edition earlier this month, Microsoft has now confirmed that the PC game will not support cross-platform play with the mainline Xbox One edition. This information comes from Xbox marketing boss Aaron Greenberg, who explained on Twitter that because Apex is a "curated experience," there won't be cross-platform play.

"No, it is a curated experience designed for Windows 10," he said to a fan.

Pressed further, Greenberg suggested that cross-play could come sometime down the road, but he did not confirm anything.

"We want to enable where we can, takes time to build the ecosystem," he explained. "Getting [Apex] on Windows 10 [is the] first step."

Lack of cross-play support is not all that surprising. As Greenberg said, Apex is not exactly the same game as the regular Forza 6, as it is a free-to-play experience with not as many cars or tracks.

When it arrives this spring, Apex will mark the Forza franchise's PC debut. All entries in the series were previously released exclusively for Xbox consoles. Apex is developed by Turn 10 Studios, the main developer behind the Forza series.

Microsoft's new strategy for PC gaming hasn't been universally praised. One notable developer, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney, recently lashed out at Microsoft for its Universal Windows Platform, accusing the company of monopolizing game development. Microsoft has since responded.

In other Xbox PC gaming news, Gears of War Ultimate Edition arrived on Windows 10 earlier this month, while Killer Instinct comes to the platform very soon. Looking further out, Quantum Break debuts on Windows 10 in April.

Microsoft has repeatedly said that bringing its Xbox games to PC does not signal that the company is in any way scaling back its efforts in the console space.

"From our CEO down at Microsoft, there's tons of commitment and enthusiasm for our [console] business [and] we're having tremendous success," Greenberg said earlier this year.