Effective June 1, 2026, the beloved arcade racing titles Horizon Chase and Horizon Chase Turbo will no longer be available for purchase. This announcement came directly from the series’ official X account, managed by developer AQUIRIS. Players who already own these games will, however, retain the ability to download and play them.
In contrast, Horizon Chase 2 will continue to be available across all its existing platforms: iOS, PC (exclusively via the Epic Games Store), Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch.
Fortnite’s Impact and Epic Games’ Layoffs
AQUIRIS, the creative studio behind the Horizon Chase series, is an internal studio owned by Epic Games. This news follows Epic Games’ recent confirmation of significant corporate restructuring, which includes the layoff of approximately 1,000 developers, impacting nearly all of its internal studios.
This widespread crisis within Epic Games is largely attributed to a decline in Fortnite’s user base coupled with the increasingly high operational costs associated with maintaining the popular battle royale game. Despite recent in-game events and extensive collaborations, these efforts seemingly did not generate sufficient benefits or increased engagement, compelling Epic Games’ leadership, including CEO Tim Sweeney, to implement these drastic cost-cutting measures.
The Horizon Chase games have garnered a dedicated community and are celebrated for their undeniable quality as arcade racers. There is a strong collective hope that the series can weather these changes and continue to thrive, as its complete disappearance would represent a considerable loss to the gaming landscape.
It is particularly notable that Epic Games only completed its acquisition of AQUIRIS in 2023, meaning the studio has operated for a relatively limited period under Epic’s ownership before these company-wide shifts were enacted.