Maverick Games Teams Up with Focus Entertainment to Publish Its First Racing Game, Clutch

French publisher Focus Entertainment has entered into a publishing partnership with Maverick Games to bring the studio’s inaugural racing project, titled Clutch, to market. The collaboration marks a significant step for both companies: it gives Maverick a seasoned publishing ally for its first major title, while it adds an open‑world racing experience to Focus’s expanding catalogue. Earlier in 2024, Maverick had initially signed a publishing agreement with Amazon Game Studios for the same, as‑yet‑unannounced, racing game.

However, Amazon chose to dissolve the partnership earlier this year, citing a strategic shift toward projects that more directly exploit Amazon’s unique capabilities and scale. The decision left Maverick searching for a new publishing home for its ambitious open‑world racer. Harinder Sangha, co‑founder and chief operating officer of Maverick Games, 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 partner whose vision aligns with the team’s goal of delivering a fresh, immersive racing experience that pushes the genre forward. Focus Entertainment welcomed the opportunity, stating that publishing Clutch 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 French publisher sees the title as a chance to diversify its offerings beyond its existing slate of narrative‑driven and action‑oriented games, venturing into a market segment that has traditionally been dominated by a handful of long‑standing franchises.

The game is slated for release in the spring of 2027 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, positioning it to reach the broadest possible audience of console and PC gamers. By targeting the current generation of hardware, Maverick aims to leverage the advanced graphics, processing power, and online capabilities of these platforms to create a sprawling, dynamic world that feels alive and responsive to player actions. Vincent Chataignier, deputy CEO of Focus Entertainment Publishing, added: "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 highlight the publisher’s strategy of aligning with visionary developers who can push the boundaries of established genres, thereby enriching Focus’s brand reputation for innovative titles. Mike Brown, the founder and chief executive officer of Maverick Games, 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, and his experience in crafting large‑scale, open‑world racing environments informs the design philosophy behind Clutch.

Clutch is envisioned as more than just a traditional circuit racer. The developers plan to integrate a living, breathing world where players can explore diverse landscapes—from coastal highways and mountain passes to bustling city streets—each populated with dynamic weather, day‑night cycles, and AI‑driven traffic that reacts to the player’s driving style.

The game will also feature a robust progression system, allowing players to earn and customize a wide array of vehicles, upgrade performance parts, and personalize aesthetics to reflect their unique taste. In addition to the core racing mechanics, Maverick intends to incorporate a narrative layer that gives context to the open world, featuring characters, rivalries, and story missions that unfold as players traverse the map. This approach seeks to blend the thrill of high‑speed competition with the engagement of a story‑driven adventure, a combination that has proven successful in titles like Forza Horizon and Need for Speed: Heat. From a technical standpoint, the team plans to utilize the latest generation of game engines to deliver photorealistic visuals, realistic vehicle physics, and seamless streaming of large environments without loading screens.

By exploiting the hardware capabilities of the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, Clutch aims to offer features such as ray‑traced reflections, high‑resolution textures, and rapid load times, enhancing immersion for players. Focus Entertainment, a subsidiary of Pullup Entertainment, brings to the partnership a wealth of publishing expertise and a network of development studios.

Pullup’s three core divisions—Focus Entertainment Publishing, the Arcade Crew, and a collection of developer studios including Deck13, Streumon, Twelve Tenths, Leikir Studio, Blackmill, Dovetail, and Carpool Studio—provide a robust infrastructure for marketing, distribution, and post‑launch support. This ecosystem will help Maverick navigate the complexities of a multi‑platform launch and sustain the game’s lifecycle through updates, downloadable content, and community engagement. Maverick Games itself was founded in 2023 by a group of former Playground Games developers, a studio best known for its work on the Forza Horizon franchise. The founding team, led by Brown, sought to create a studio that could pursue bold, original ideas in the racing genre without the constraints often imposed by larger publishers.

Their experience at Playground Games, combined with a desire to innovate, laid the groundwork for the ambitious vision behind Clutch. Overall, the partnership between Maverick Games and Focus Entertainment represents a convergence of creative ambition and publishing muscle. With a clear roadmap, a talented development team, and a publisher eager to expand into new territory, Clutch is positioned to become a notable entry in the open‑world racing arena when it arrives in 2027.