French publisher Focus Entertainment has announced a new publishing partnership with Maverick Games to bring the studio’s inaugural racing project, titled Clutch, to market. The collaboration marks a significant milestone for both companies, as it represents Focus’s first foray into the open‑world racing genre and gives Maverick a seasoned publishing ally after an earlier partnership fell through. In early 2024 Maverick Games entered into a publishing agreement with Amazon Game Studios for the same, at‑the‑time‑still‑secret title. However, Amazon chose to end the arrangement earlier this year, stating that it needed to concentrate on initiatives that better align with the company’s unique capabilities and scale.
The decision left Maverick searching for a new partner that could share its long‑term vision for the intellectual property. Harinder Sangha, co‑founder and chief operating officer of Maverick, explained to GamesIndustry.biz that the studio has been "in active dialogue with partners who share our long‑term ambition for the IP and look forward to sharing more later this year." This sentiment underscores Maverick’s commitment to finding a publishing home that not only provides financial backing but also embraces the creative direction of the project.
Focus Entertainment’s publishing division welcomed the opportunity, noting that adding Clutch to its catalogue will "strengthen [its] portfolio with its first entry into the open‑world racing space, driven by a shared ambition to deliver a standout experience and establish Clutch as a major new racing IP." The statement highlights the publisher’s strategic intent to diversify its offerings beyond its traditional slate of narrative‑driven and action titles, venturing into a segment that has seen strong consumer demand for expansive, sandbox‑style driving experiences. The game is slated for a spring 2027 release across the current generation of consoles—PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S—as well as on PC. This multi‑platform launch window gives the title ample time to refine its core mechanics, populate its open world with diverse environments, and integrate the high‑fidelity graphics that modern gamers expect.
Vincent Chataignier, deputy CEO of Focus Entertainment Publishing, elaborated on the partnership, saying, "At Focus, we look to partner with creators who are redefining their genre. Mike Brown and his team are regarded as one of the defining creative voices in the racing genre, and Clutch embodies exactly the creative ambition Focus Entertainment wants to champion." Chataignier’s remarks signal that the publisher sees Maverick’s team not only as capable developers but also as innovators capable of pushing the boundaries of what a racing game can offer. Maverick’s founder and chief executive officer, Mike Brown, echoed this enthusiasm: "We founded Maverick Games to build the open‑world racing experience we'd dreamed about for years.
Focus shares our creative bar and our ambition for Clutch, and we can't wait for players everywhere to discover this world." Brown’s background includes a tenure as creative director on the acclaimed Forza Horizon series, giving him a deep understanding of both the technical and artistic challenges involved in crafting a compelling open‑world driving adventure. Focus Entertainment itself is a French publishing house operating under the umbrella of Pullup Entertainment. Pullup’s structure comprises three main divisions: Focus Entertainment Publishing, the Arcade Crew, and a collection of development studios such as Deck13, Streumon, Twelve Tenths, Leikir Studio, Blackmill, Dovetail, and Carpool Studio.
This network provides a robust ecosystem of resources, from marketing expertise to technical support, that can be leveraged to maximize Clutch’s reach and impact. Maverick Games was founded in 2023 by a group of former Playground Games developers, a studio renowned for its work on the Forza Horizon franchise.
The founding team, led by Brown, sought to create a studio that could pursue more ambitious, open‑world concepts without the constraints often imposed by larger publishers. Their experience on Horizon, which blended arcade‑style racing with a living, breathing world, directly informs the design philosophy behind Clutch.
Clutch aims to differentiate itself from existing titles by offering a seamless blend of high‑speed racing, deep vehicle customization, and an expansive, dynamic world that reacts to player actions. The developers have hinted at features such as weather‑dependent driving physics, a living ecosystem of AI‑controlled traffic, and a narrative thread that ties together various racing events across the map. By integrating these elements, the team hopes to deliver an experience that feels both personal and grand in scope.
The decision to target a 2027 launch provides ample development time for polishing core systems, iterating on level design, and conducting extensive playtesting. It also aligns with the typical lifecycle of console hardware, ensuring that the game will debut on platforms that are still at the forefront of performance capabilities. Moreover, the multi‑year development window allows Focus and Maverick to coordinate a comprehensive marketing campaign, leveraging events such as E3, Gamescom, and the Summer Game Fest to build anticipation.
From a business perspective, the partnership represents a strategic alignment of goals. Focus gains entry into a lucrative segment of the market that has seen titles like Forza Horizon 5 and Gran Turismo 7 achieve both critical and commercial success. Maverick, on the other hand, benefits from Focus’s established distribution channels, publishing expertise, and financial resources, which together mitigate the risks associated with launching a new IP.
In summary, the collaboration between Maverick Games and Focus Entertainment signals a promising future for Clutch, a title that aspires to set a new benchmark for open‑world racing. With a seasoned leadership team, a clear creative vision, and the backing of a reputable publisher, the game is positioned to capture the imagination of racing enthusiasts worldwide when it arrives in the spring of 2027.