Amazon Games announced today that it has reached an agreement with Maverick Games to publish a new AAA multi-platform title. The unannounced game will be a narrative-led, open-world driving game for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.
Maverick Games was founded in 2022, by several of the core team behind the critically acclaimed open-world racing game series Forza Horizon, including studio head and creative director Mike Brown, former creative director of the Forza Horizon franchise.
“In our ongoing global search for talented development teams who are building compelling titles that players will love, Maverick Games stood out as a studio that can deliver on all fronts,” said Christoph Hartmann, VP, Amazon Games. “Mike and his team are the total package — proven game developers who are masters at their craft and aren’t content with the status quo. Their vision for this game is fresh and innovative, and we’re looking forward to working alongside them to bring it to players around the world.”
“We founded Maverick Games with a clear vision: to build a developer-first studio that would foster an environment of creativity and risk-taking,” said Brown. “This approach empowers our team to produce the most exceptional work of their careers. And ultimately, that means we are creating a game that our players are going to fall in love with. As we got to know the team at Amazon Games it quickly became clear that we had a shared ethos — a commitment to giving developers the space to really innovate in service of crafting experiences that players will find truly special. Without giving too much away, I will share that the team here is buzzing with excitement about our game and we can’t wait to share it with the world.”
The Maverick Games Leadership Team
Jamie Brittain, co-creator of the BAFTA award-winning British TV show Skins, is the lead writer on the game, working alongside Maverick Games' core leadership team, including executive producer Tom Butcher (Forza Horizon series, F1 All-Stars), CTO Matt Craven (Forza Horizon series, GRID, DIRT), content director Gareth Harwood (Forza Horizon series, Fable reboot), audio director Fraser Strachan (Forza Horizon series), art director Ben Penrose (Forza Horizon Series, Fable reboot) and Visual Design Director Elly Marshall (Forza Horizon 3, Just Cause 3, DIRT).
Maverick Games, based in Warwick, United Kingdom, is run by award-winning studio leader Harinder Sangha (Sega Hardlight, Sumo Leamington) as COO, and currently has a team of more than 60 people. Sangha, also a board member at UK interactive entertainment (Ukie) and an advisory board member at Women in Games, and Brown are actively hiring talent to build out the team, with many roles open now.
Check out this additional interview with Brown, who shares more insight into the studio’s vision for its upcoming game.
This unannounced game joins a growing Amazon Games portfolio that includes RPGs New World and Lost Ark, both of which have topped Steam and Twitch charts and continue to nurture active player communities. Upcoming Amazon Games titles include the next major entry in the Tomb Raider series, developed by Crystal Dynamics; a new Lord of the Rings MMO, developed by Amazon Games Orange County; and THRONE AND LIBERTY, developed by NCSOFT, which is coming to the West later this year. The collaboration with UK-based Maverick Games also comes as Amazon Games is expanding its footprint in Europe, having just announced a new development studio in Bucharest, Romania earlier this month.
