Maverick Games is about to unveil its mysterious open-world driving title, with the reveal set for June 2 at 11am London BST (6am EDT, 3am PDT, 8pm AEST).
The independent studio, founded by Mike Brown after he left his creative director role at Forza Horizon 5, has been building anticipation through a week-long livestream broadcast from inside a heavily modified Fiat Multipla parked at the studio's Leamington Spa headquarters. The team has shared scattered screenshots and cryptic clues hinting at gameplay features and a possible setting for the game.
The project faced a significant setback earlier this year when Amazon pulled out of its publishing deal with Maverick Games. Brown quickly assured fans that the game's development remained on track and the reveal would still happen as planned, signaling the studio had found a path forward without the retail giant's backing.
Maverick Games assembled a veteran crew when it launched in 2022. Alongside Brown, the founding team includes producer Tom Butcher, technical director Matt Craven, technical art director Gareth Harwood, audio director Fraser Stachan, and art director Ben Penrose. Most were poached from Playground Games, the studio behind the Forza Horizon franchise. By early 2023, the group had publicly confirmed it was developing a premium open-world game designed for both consoles and PC.
The AAA title represents one of the industry's most closely watched indie projects, drawing interest largely because of Brown's track record with one of racing's biggest franchises. Whether the game can live up to expectations built by Forza Horizon's multi-year success remains to be seen, but tomorrow's reveal will finally give enthusiasts and skeptics alike a real look at what the studio has been cooking up.
Author Emily Chen: "After months of cryptic hints and a major publisher bail, this reveal better deliver something genuinely fresh."
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