The newest entry to Microsoft's long-running racing series "Forza Horizon 3" has reportedly sold more than 2.5 million copies, as per company's announcement yesterday. In an Xbox Wire post, Microsoft said that the whole "Forza" franchise passed $1 billion in retail sales as of December 2016.

Although it may seem like a huge number, it is still nowhere near Microsoft's "Halo" Series, which has reportedly pulled in more than $5 billion in revenue as of November 2015. Furthermore, Microsoft has shared a number of other "Forza" stats for 2016.

It is said that 14 million people were involved in the "Forza" community on Windows 10 and Xbox One during the year. Microsoft claims that the "Forza" series, including "Forza 5," "Forza 6" and "Forza Horizon 3" are the best-selling racing series for this console's generation. Finally, more than three million people have apparently joined the "Forza" online racing community every month, GameSpot reported.

Microsoft even teased that the company cannot wait for its fans to see what this year will be bringing. This is said to be referring to "Forza 7," which has been unofficially unveiled at the end of 2016.

Looking back, in a post on the racing wheel manufacturer's forums, Fanatic CEO Thomas Jackermeier had purportedly asked "forumgoers" to reach out and speak about what new features they would like to see supported in "Forza Motorsport 7." 

Playground Games' "Forza Horizon" series, which began in 2012, takes racing off the track and onto the streets of an open world. It is said to be a spinoff of Turn 10's mainline "Forza" Motorsport franchise, which had started on the original Xbox in May 2005.

Microsoft has released a total of six "Forza" Motorsport games. If the company's recent trend of every-other-year titles is continuing in 2017, it stands to reason that there's a possibility of a "Forza Motorsport 7" this fall.