French publisher Focus Entertainment has entered into a partnership with Maverick Games to bring the studio’s inaugural racing project, titled Clutch, to market. This collaboration marks a significant step for both companies as they aim to make a splash in the competitive open‑world racing segment.
In early 2024 Maverick Games originally struck a publishing agreement with Amazon Game Studios for the same, as‑yet‑unnamed, racing title. However, Amazon chose to dissolve the partnership earlier this year, citing a strategic shift toward initiatives that better exploit the company’s distinctive capabilities and scale. The decision left Maverick searching for a new publishing home for its ambitious project. 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 statement underscores Maverick’s commitment to finding a partner whose vision aligns with its own, and it signals that discussions with Focus Entertainment have moved beyond preliminary talks.
Focus Entertainment’s leadership echoed this enthusiasm. The publisher said that adding Clutch to its slate 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 venturing into a genre traditionally dominated by a handful of legacy franchises, Focus hopes to diversify its offerings and demonstrate its ability to support large‑scale, technically demanding projects.
Clutch is slated for release in the spring of 2027 and will be available on the current generation of consoles—PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S—as well as on PC. The timing positions the game to benefit from the continued growth of the next‑gen console market while also reaching a broad audience of PC gamers who have shown a strong appetite for high‑fidelity open‑world experiences.
Vincent Chataignier, deputy CEO of Focus Entertainment Publishing, elaborated on the partnership, 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." This endorsement highlights the publisher’s confidence in Maverick’s creative direction and its belief that the studio can deliver a fresh take on racing games that goes beyond the traditional lap‑based formula.
Maverick’s founder and chief executive officer, Mike Brown, 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 long‑standing vision that dates back to his tenure as creative director on the acclaimed Forza Horizon series, where he helped shape some of the most beloved open‑world racing experiences to date.
The partnership also brings together the broader corporate structure of Focus Entertainment, a French publishing house that operates under the umbrella of Pullup Entertainment. Pullup’s three core divisions—Focus Entertainment Publishing, the Arcade Crew, and a collection of development studios—provide a robust ecosystem for game creation and distribution. Among the studios affiliated with Pullup are Deck13, known for narrative‑driven action titles; Streumon, a studio with a pedigree in tactical shooters; Twelve Tenths, which focuses on indie‑style experiences; Leikir Studio, Blackmill, Dovetail, and Carpool Studio, each contributing diverse expertise across genres. Maverick Games itself was founded in 2023 by a team of former Playground Games developers, a studio best known for the Forza Horizon franchise.
The founders, including Brown, leveraged their experience in crafting expansive, visually stunning racing worlds to establish a new studio dedicated to pushing the boundaries of the genre. Their ambition with Clutch is to create an open‑world environment that not only offers high‑speed thrills but also integrates deep progression systems, dynamic weather, and a living ecosystem that reacts to player actions.
While the core gameplay loop will revolve around high‑octane racing across varied terrains—ranging from coastal highways to mountainous backroads—Clutch aims to differentiate itself through a strong emphasis on player agency. The game will feature customizable vehicles, a robust modding framework, and multiplayer modes that blend competitive racing with cooperative exploration. By allowing players to shape the world and influence the narrative through their racing style, Maverick hopes to foster a community that feels invested in the ongoing evolution of the title.
From a technical standpoint, Clutch will leverage the latest capabilities of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S hardware, including ray‑traced lighting, high‑resolution textures, and fast load times enabled by SSD storage. The PC version will be optimized for a range of configurations, with scalable settings to ensure that both high‑end rigs and more modest setups can enjoy a smooth experience.
In summary, the alliance between Maverick Games and Focus Entertainment represents a strategic convergence of creative vision and publishing muscle. With Amazon Game Studios stepping away earlier in the year, the new partnership promises to bring Clutch to market with the resources and support necessary to realize its ambitious design goals. As the release window approaches in spring 2027, both companies are poised to showcase a racing title that aspires to redefine what open‑world racing can be, delivering an immersive, player‑driven experience that could set a new benchmark for the genre.