Amazon Games is set to publish an unannounced AAA open-world driving game that is being developed by Maverick Games.
Maverick Games was founded in 2022 and is home to many core development team members from across the Forza Horizon series. This includes studio head Mike Brown, who worked on the series for many years at Playground Games and served as the creative director of Forza Horizon 5.
“I’ve been making racing games for nearly 20 years and I know this community really well,” said Brown in an interview concerning the announcement. “I think there are a lot of fantasies, desires, and motivations that this community has that we have a unique opportunity to deliver on.”
Exact details surrounding the nature of the unannounced game are scarce, but we do know that it is targeting a release on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PlayStation 5, and PC. We also know that the game will feature AAA production values, be open-world, and focus quite heavily on storytelling.
“Lots of great driving games have amazing gameplay, amazing content,” said Brown. “But to really cross that bridge, to become a game that people genuinely love, then there needs to be that human connection where you’re actually rooting for these characters, falling in love with these characters. That, I think, is a place where our game will be able to really differentiate itself from the other titles in the genre.”
The publishing deal with Maverick Games is part of a wider attempt by Amazon Games to expand its development efforts into Europe which recently saw the announcement of a new European development studio in Bucharest.
Christoph Hartmann, VP of Amazon Games, explained that in the company’s “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.”
“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,” he continued. “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.”
The game will join Amazon’s growing portfolio of titles, which includes the previously released New World and Lost Ark. Among other unannounced projects, the company is currently working on the next entry in the Tomb Raider series and a new The Lord of the Rings game.
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