Maverick Games officially revealed Clutch, their first AAA open-world action-driving game, on June 2, 2026 [1]. Founded in 2022 by former Forza Horizon 5 creative director Mike Brown and ex-Playground Games staff, Maverick has built the game as a cinematic blend of professional circuit racing and underground race-and-chase gameplay [1, 2, 3].
Clutch’s story centers on sibling racing prodigies competing in the 100-year-old historic R1K racing series and the underground Midnight Collective group of car enthusiasts who pursue speed for the thrill rather than fame [4, 5, 3]. Mike Brown said the game’s early story has the hero getting into trouble and seeking help from a fixer, revealing the dark underworld beneath the R1K’s glitz and glamour [5].
The game features extensive vehicle customization including interior and exterior parts, with realistic wear and human details on cars [6, 3]. It runs on a custom Unreal Engine 5 built with proprietary physics and sandbox open-world gameplay that includes PvPvE elements to challenge players in multiple ways [4, 3].
Development continued despite Maverick losing its publishing deal with Amazon earlier in 2026 for the then-untitled racing game [1, 5]. CEO Mike Brown said, “Maverick has assembled a dream team of car lovers and driving fans with decades of experience building genre defining open-world racing games. Our mission from day-one is for Clutch to push the genre into a new era.” [3]
Clutch is scheduled to launch in Spring 2027 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC [4, 2]. It will receive a fuller reveal with the first full trailer, story details, and cast announcements at the Summer Game Fest on June 5, 2026 [6, 5].
