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 Focus its first foray into the open‑world racing genre, while providing Maverick a new publishing home after an earlier arrangement with Amazon Game Studios fell through. In early 2024, Maverick Games initially struck a deal with Amazon Game Studios to develop a racing game that had not yet been announced to the public.
However, Amazon later announced that it would be ending the agreement, citing a strategic shift toward projects that better exploit the company’s unique capabilities and scale. The decision left Maverick searching for a partner that could share its long‑term vision for the intellectual property and support the ambitious scope of the game. Harinder Sangha, co‑founder and chief operating officer of Maverick, told 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 statement underscored Maverick’s commitment to finding a publishing ally that not only understands the technical demands of an open‑world racing title but also aligns with its creative aspirations. Focus Entertainment responded positively to the opportunity, emphasizing that publishing Clutch would "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 partnership as a chance to diversify its catalogue, which has traditionally focused on narrative‑driven and action‑oriented titles, and to demonstrate its ability to back ambitious, genre‑defining projects.
The game is slated for release in the spring of 2027 on the major current‑generation platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. This timeline gives the development team ample room to refine the open‑world mechanics, populate the game world with a variety of vehicles, and polish the visual and audio fidelity to meet the high expectations of modern racing enthusiasts. Vincent Chataignier, deputy CEO of Focus Entertainment Publishing, elaborated on the company’s selection criteria, 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 highlight the respect Focus has for Maverick’s leadership, particularly the reputation of founder and CEO Mike Brown, who is known for his work on the acclaimed Forza Horizon series.
Mike Brown, who co‑founded Maverick Games after leaving Playground Games in 2023, 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 comment reflects a clear vision: to craft a racing environment that goes beyond traditional circuit racing, offering players a seamless, expansive world to explore, with dynamic weather, day‑night cycles, and a variety of terrain that influences vehicle handling.
Clutch aims to differentiate itself by blending the freedom of open‑world exploration with the high‑octane thrills of competitive racing. Players will be able to traverse a meticulously designed landscape that includes coastal highways, mountain passes, urban streets, and off‑road tracks, each populated with AI traffic, hidden challenges, and dynamic events.
The game will feature a robust progression system, allowing players to acquire, customize, and upgrade a diverse roster of cars ranging from classic muscle machines to futuristic hypercars. Additionally, the developers plan to integrate live‑service elements such as seasonal events, community‑driven tournaments, and downloadable content that expands the map and introduces new vehicle classes. From a technical standpoint, the development team is leveraging the latest generation of hardware to deliver photorealistic graphics, realistic physics, and immersive sound design.
The engine will support real‑time ray tracing for reflections and lighting, while advanced AI will manage traffic behavior and opponent tactics, ensuring that each race feels unique. Multiplayer will be a core component, with support for both competitive races and cooperative open‑world exploration, allowing friends to team up and tackle challenges together.
Focus Entertainment itself is a subsidiary of Pullup Entertainment, a larger media group that oversees 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 extensive network provides Focus with a broad range of expertise and resources, from narrative design to live‑ops management, which can be leveraged to support Clutch’s post‑launch roadmap. The partnership between Maverick Games and Focus Entertainment is expected to bring a fresh perspective to the racing genre, combining Maverick’s creative pedigree—shaped by Brown’s tenure as creative director on the Forza Horizon series—with Focus’s publishing acumen and global distribution capabilities. As the spring 2027 launch approaches, both companies have indicated that further details about gameplay mechanics, vehicle line‑up, and world design will be revealed through a series of developer diaries, trailers, and beta testing phases.
In summary, the collaboration promises to deliver an ambitious, open‑world racing experience that aims to set a new benchmark for the genre. By joining forces, Maverick Games and Focus Entertainment hope to capture the imagination of racing fans worldwide, offering a game that not only showcases cutting‑edge technology but also provides a richly detailed, immersive world for players to explore and dominate.