Maverick Games has revealed its first project, a AAA open-world racing game Clutch, developed by several former Forza Horizon leads.
The game is an open-world racer set on the French Riviera, in a game that looks to be a mix of Forza Horizon, Need For Speed, Test Drive Unlimited, and several vehicle combat games.
The main premise of the game is a blend of professional and underground racing that the game’s twin protagonists will participate in, along with a carefully crafted narrative that should set the project apart from many current racing games that treat their narrative as an afterthought. Clutch was first always positioned by Maverick as a narrative-led open-world driving game rather than a pure racing sandbox.
The game is being developed in Unreal Engine 5, with lots of attention paid to the authenticity of the car models, down to minute details like scuffs on the racing wheel or dirt on the number plates. Clutch will also feature extensive customization, even bringing back neon lights under the skids, which hasn’t been popular in 25 years.
Maverick Games was founded by people who helped define modern open-world racing through Forza Horizon, including studio head and creative director Mike Brown, who previously worked as creative director on Forza Horizon 5.
Maverick was announced in 2023 as a new UK studio based in Leamington Spa, the same wider area that has become one of the main homes of British racing game development. The studio quickly drew attention because of its founding team. Alongside Brown, Maverick brought in senior developers with credits across Forza Horizon, Dirt, Grid, and other racing or open-world projects.
Clutch had a rocky road to its reveal, as Amazon Games, which originally signed on to publish Maverick’s debut title in 2024, pulled out of the publishing agreement as part of a wider shift in its games strategy, leaving Maverick to continue development without Amazon attached.
Maverick Games will reveal more information and a gameplay trailer during the Summer Games Fest this Friday.
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