French publisher Focus Entertainment has entered into a 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 Focus its first foray into the open‑world racing genre, while providing Maverick a new publishing home after its earlier arrangement with Amazon Game Studios fell through. In early 2024 Maverick Games had originally secured a publishing agreement with Amazon Game Studios for a game that had not yet been announced to the public.
However, Amazon decided to dissolve the partnership earlier in the year, citing a strategic shift toward projects that better align with the company’s unique capabilities and scale. This decision left Maverick searching for a new partner that shared its long‑term vision for the intellectual property. Harinder Sangha, co‑founder and chief operating officer of Maverick, told GamesIndustry.biz that the studio is now "in active dialogue with partners who share our long‑term ambition for the IP and look forward to sharing more later this year." The remarks underscore Maverick’s commitment to finding a publisher that not only understands the technical demands of an open‑world racing experience but also appreciates the creative aspirations behind the project. Focus Entertainment’s statement about the partnership emphasizes the strategic fit.
The publisher said 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." By adding an open‑world title to its slate, Focus aims to diversify its catalog, which has traditionally focused on narrative‑driven and action‑oriented games. Clutch is slated for release in the spring of 2027 and will be available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
The timeline gives the development team ample opportunity to refine the world‑building, vehicle physics, and multiplayer components that are expected to set the game apart from existing racing titles. Vincent Chataignier, deputy CEO of Focus Entertainment Publishing, elaborated on the publisher’s philosophy, stating: "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 comments highlight the importance of aligning creative vision with publishing support, a synergy that both companies hope will translate into a compelling player experience. Mike Brown, founder and chief executive officer of Maverick Games, added his perspective: "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 statement reflects the studio’s origin story: a group of former Playground Games developers who left to pursue a more expansive, sandbox‑style racing concept that goes beyond the traditional circuit‑based formats. Focus Entertainment operates as a subsidiary of Pullup Entertainment, a larger media group that manages several divisions. Pullup’s core units include 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 extensive network provides a robust infrastructure for marketing, distribution, and technical support, which Maverick expects to leverage for Clutch’s launch.
The background of Maverick Games adds further context to the partnership. The studio was founded in 2023 by a team of veterans from Playground Games, the studio behind the acclaimed Forza Horizon series. Mike Brown, who previously served as creative director on several Forza Horizon installments, brings deep expertise in crafting expansive, visually stunning racing environments. His experience informs the design philosophy of Clutch, which aims to blend the freedom of an open world with the high‑octane thrills of competitive racing.
By partnering with Focus, Maverick hopes to benefit from the publisher’s European market reach and its established relationships with console manufacturers and digital storefronts. Focus, in turn, anticipates that Clutch will attract both hardcore racing enthusiasts and newcomers drawn to the promise of an immersive, open‑world driving experience.
The decision to target a spring 2027 release aligns with typical development cycles for large‑scale, open‑world titles. It allows Maverick to iterate on core gameplay loops, integrate player feedback from early testing phases, and polish the visual fidelity to meet the expectations of next‑generation hardware.
Additionally, the timeline provides room for strategic marketing campaigns, including teaser trailers, developer diaries, and community engagement initiatives that will build anticipation across the PlayStation, Xbox, and PC ecosystems. In summary, the collaboration between Maverick Games and Focus Entertainment represents a strategic alignment of creative ambition and publishing capability.
With Focus’s backing, Maverick is positioned to deliver an innovative racing title that could redefine the genre, while Focus expands its portfolio into a new market segment. Players can look forward to a richly detailed world, diverse vehicle customization options, and a blend of single‑player narrative and competitive multiplayer modes when Clutch finally arrives in the spring of 2027.