Clutch: Ex-Forza Horizon Devs Reveal the Open-World Racing Game That Breaks the Mold

Picture this: you’re tearing down a moonlit coastal road on the French Riviera, a police chopper overhead, a grappling hook waiting on your dash. That’s Clutch, the debut title from Maverick Games, built by the creative director of Forza Horizon 5 and a co-creator of Skins, fusing high-speed police chases with cooperative heist-like mechanics. Set on the sun-drenched French Riviera and targeting Spring 2027, this is not a clone. It is a confident leap into uncharted road.

After a two-week YouTube livestream of a stationary 2003 Fiat Multipla (famously voted one of the ugliest cars ever made) parked in the Maverick office, the game was officially revealed on June 2, 2026. The stunt was playful, self-aware, and deeply community-focused, a hallmark of a studio that knows exactly what its audience wants.

The Forza Horizon DNA, And Why It Matters

Maverick Games was founded in December 2022 by Mike Brown, the former creative director of Forza Horizon 5 who had been with Playground Games since Forza Horizon 2. The studio is headquartered in Leamington Spa, UK, just two miles from Playground Games’ own office. This proximity is no coincidence. Brown and his team have deliberately recruited a core of veterans from the Horizon franchise, including Tom Butcher, Matt Craven, Gareth Harwood, Fraser Stachan, and Ben Penrose. With approximately 140 employees, Maverick Games represents a direct brain drain from the series that defined open-world racing.

But Clutch is not a carbon copy. The studio is deliberately differentiating itself by blending Horizon’s seamless open-world exploration with the adrenaline of police pursuits, gadget-based gameplay, and a stronger narrative focus. This is a team that knows the formula inside out but wants to evolve it by adding the chaotic, action-movie energy of games like Need for Speed and Burnout. The result is a game that feels familiar yet refreshingly different.

Gameplay That Rewrites the Rulebook, PvPvE, Gadgets, and Chases

One of the most intriguing innovations in Clutch is its PvPvE system. Players compete against each other in races but can also cooperate to overcome common AI opponents, most notably, the police. This creates dynamic, shifting alliances where a momentary truce might help you escape a roadblock, only for the same co-driver to become your rival seconds later. It borrows the emergent tension of games like Escape from Tarkov but applies it to four-wheeled competition.

Gadgets play a central role in these encounters. Nitrous boosts, grappling hooks, and other tools can be deployed to evade cops or gain an edge in races. The police chase is not a side activity, it is a core gameplay loop. The gadgets are designed to make escapes feel cinematic and skill-based, rewarding clever usage over brute force.

Clutch runs on a custom Unreal Engine 5 build paired with a proprietary physics engine, aiming for ray-traced visuals and Forza Horizon, like handling. Early impressions from the reveal suggest an arcade-but-grounded handling model that lets you drift through coastal hairpins without punishing realism.

Deep Customization, From Soups to Hoodies

Clutch goes beyond the typical visual and performance upgrades found in most racing games. The customization system includes interior details: players can place coffee cups, receipts, even hoodies on the passenger seat. This level of personalization adds a storytelling layer, your car becomes a reflection of your character’s life on the French Riviera. It is a reaction to the “cosmetic-only” trend in many modern racers, giving players a reason to care about every inch of their vehicle.

Body kits, aftermarket parts, and paint jobs are also present, but the interior focus is a unique selling point. The initial car roster includes 11 confirmed models, ranging from iconic Japanese legends like the FD Mazda RX-7 and Nissan R34 Skyline GT-R to modern hypercars like the Aston Martin Valhalla and the rugged Land Rover Defender. Unusual choices like the Renault Mégane RS and the E31 BMW 850 CSi suggest a curated list rather than a massive, generic catalogue. This approach ensures each vehicle feels distinct and worthy of personal investment.

A Story That Matters, Skins’ Co‑Creator Writes the Rivalry

Racing games are often criticized for forgettable plots. Clutch aims to change that with a narrative penned by Jamie Brittain, co-creator of the acclaimed TV series Skins. The story centers on sibling racing prodigies competing in the R1K championship, but also involves the underground “Midnight Collective”, a dual identity of legal circuit racing and illicit street scene. This conflict between the professional and the outlaw provides a compelling backdrop for the game’s core tension.

In one early mission, players must balance a legitimate championship race against a lucrative but illegal street run for the Midnight Collective, a choice that affects both sibling rivalries and police heat. Set on the French Riviera, the world is designed for both scenic cruises and high-speed getaways. The setting allows for varied environments, coastal roads, mountain passes, urban areas, that support both professional and outlaw gameplay. The game is described as a “cinematic open-world action driving game,” with cutscenes and dialogue expected to be more prominent than in typical racing titles. This could attract players who usually skip racing games for story-driven genres.

From Amazon to Independence, The Business Behind the Reveal

Maverick Games originally had a publishing deal with Amazon Games, but the studio split before the reveal and is now self-publishing. This independence gives them full creative control and a direct relationship with players, a risky but potentially rewarding move. Without a traditional publisher, Maverick can experiment with pricing, content updates, and community engagement in ways that larger studios might not allow.

The reveal itself was a masterclass in viral marketing. The two-week livestream of a stationary Fiat Multipla, a car widely considered one of the ugliest ever made, generated huge buzz in the racing community. It demonstrated the studio’s playful, community-focused approach. Fans tuned in to watch the car do nothing, speculating about what it meant. When the Multipla finally drove off to reveal the Clutch logo, the payoff was genuine and memorable.

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The first full trailer will debut at Summer Game Fest on June 5, 2026, where more gameplay details and a deeper look at the story are expected. The game is targeting a Spring 2027 window on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. No pricing or pre-orders have been announced yet.

Clutch’s Place in the Racing Landscape

Clutch is not just another open-world racing game, it is a declaration of intent from the people who helped define the genre’s modern form. By blending the polish of Forza Horizon with the chaos of Need for Speed, adding a meaningful story from a TV writing powerhouse, and giving players unprecedented interior customization, Maverick Games is building something that could genuinely shake up the racing landscape. The viral Fiat Multipla teaser proved they know how to build excitement. Now they have to prove they can build a game. Summer Game Fest will be our first real look, and the racing world will be watching.