French publisher Focus Entertainment has entered into a publishing partnership with Maverik Games to bring the studio’s inaugural racing title, 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 with a seasoned publishing partner after an earlier arrangement fell through. In early 2024, Maverick Games had originally secured a publishing agreement with Amazon Game Studios for a project that was still under wraps at the time.
However, Amazon chose to end that partnership earlier in the year, citing a strategic shift toward initiatives that more directly exploit the company’s unique technological capabilities and massive scale. The decision left Maverick searching for a new ally that could support its vision for a large‑scale, open‑world racing experience.
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 the studio’s determination to find a publishing partner whose goals align with Maverick’s own aspirations for the Clutch intellectual property. Focus Entertainment responded enthusiastically, 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 catalogue, which has traditionally focused on narrative‑driven and action‑oriented games, and to demonstrate its willingness to back innovative, genre‑defining projects. The game is slated for release in the spring of 2027 on 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 benefit from the latest hardware capabilities, ensuring that the open‑world environments, vehicle physics, and visual fidelity can be fully realized.
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 comments highlight the publisher’s confidence in Maverick’s leadership and its belief that the game will push the boundaries of what players expect from open‑world racing.
Maverick’s founder and chief executive officer, Mike Brown, echoed that optimism. "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," he said. Brown’s background includes a tenure as creative director on the acclaimed Forza Horizon series, a pedigree that lends credibility to the promise of a fresh, expansive racing sandbox.
Focus Entertainment itself is a French publishing house that operates under the umbrella of Pullup Entertainment. Pullup’s structure includes three primary 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 infrastructure for supporting a title like Clutch, from marketing and distribution to potential post‑launch content updates. Maverick Games was founded in 2023 by a team of former Playground Games developers, a studio best known for its work on the Forza Horizon franchise.
The founders, led by Brown, left Playground with a shared desire to create an open‑world racing experience that would go beyond the seasonal, hub‑based structure that had defined their previous work. Their goal was to craft a persistent world where players could freely explore diverse landscapes, encounter dynamic weather systems, and engage in a variety of racing disciplines—from street sprints to off‑road endurance challenges. Clutch is designed to deliver that vision.
The game will feature a seamless map that blends urban environments, coastal highways, mountain passes, and desert trails into a single, continuous world. Players will be able to acquire, customize, and upgrade a wide range of vehicles, ranging from classic muscle cars to high‑performance hypercars, each modeled with meticulous attention to detail.
The developers have emphasized a realistic physics engine that adapts to different surfaces and weather conditions, promising a driving experience that feels both authentic and exhilarating. Beyond the core racing mechanics, the studio plans to integrate a progression system that rewards exploration and skill development. Players can unlock new regions, discover hidden shortcuts, and participate in community events that evolve over time. The inclusion of live‑service elements—such as seasonal content drops, competitive leaderboards, and community‑driven challenges—aims to keep the world vibrant and engaging long after the initial launch.
From a technical standpoint, Clutch will leverage the power of the latest console hardware to deliver high‑resolution textures, ray‑traced lighting, and sophisticated AI traffic that reacts to player actions. The PC version will support a range of graphical settings, allowing enthusiasts to tailor performance and visual fidelity to their own rigs.
The partnership with Focus also opens doors for broader marketing initiatives. Focus’s established relationships with retailers, digital storefronts, and media outlets will help ensure that Clutch receives prominent visibility across multiple regions. Additionally, the publisher’s experience with community management and post‑launch support will be instrumental in fostering a dedicated player base. In summary, the collaboration between Maverick Games and Focus Entertainment represents a convergence of creative ambition and publishing expertise.
With a seasoned team at the helm, a clear vision for an expansive open‑world racing experience, and the backing of a publisher eager to expand into new territory, Clutch is positioned to become a noteworthy addition to the racing genre when it arrives in spring 2027.