Clutch Explained: Maverick Games' Open-World Driving Game (2027)

Clutch is the debut game from Maverick Games, an independent studio founded in 2022 and led by Mike Brown, the former creative director of Forza Horizon 5. The studio calls it a "cinematic open-world action-driving game," combining a written narrative with both sanctioned pro racing and illegal street racing. It is heading to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.

Who is making Clutch

Maverick Games is built from a team of former Forza Horizon developers. Mike Brown serves as creative director, having previously worked as a designer on Forza Horizon 4 and then taking over as creative director on Forza Horizon 5 from Ralph Fulton. The studio's leadership also includes COO Harinder Sangha, producer Tom Butcher, technical director Matt Craven, technical art director Gareth Harwood, audio director Fraser Stachan, and art director Ben Penrose.

Brown has framed Clutch as a chance to take the genre somewhere a long-running franchise cannot easily go. He pointed out that a successful series tends to stay on the path that works commercially, which makes bold changes hard, and said he saw an opening to do something fresher with open-world driving.

The narrative is being written by Jamie Brittain, co-creator of the British TV series Skins, which signals how heavily the studio is leaning on story compared with a typical racing game.

The story and setting in Clutch

The plot centers on two siblings, both racing prodigies, who compete in the R1K. Inside the game's world, the R1K is treated as the top proving ground for drivers and has held that status for about a century. While the R1K is sanctioned, illegal street racing runs at night alongside it.

That underground side is represented by a group called the Midnight Collective, made up of drivers who care about style and the raw thrill of speed. The hero eventually lands in trouble and needs a fixer, a turn that opens up the darker, criminal side of the R1K. That criminal element points toward police chases and other action-driven situations that would not fit a more relaxed exploration game.

Maverick describes two main modes of play that flow from this setup. There are story-driven pro circuit campaigns on one side, and underground race-and-chase matches on the other.

Car customization and damage

Customization is one of the studio's biggest pushes, and it goes well past picking colors, decals, and aftermarket parts. The goal is to let you build a genuinely one-of-a-kind car that you then take into missions and races to compete for position and rewards.

Car damage is the other major focus, covering both large and small wear. Brown has criticized how many racing games keep cars looking too pristine and "museum-like," arguing that it breaks the sense of realism. He described wanting layered detail instead, such as dust build-up, carbon around the exhaust, general wear, worn steering wheels, sagging leather on seats, and sun damage on a soft-top's leather, so the cars feel used and believable.

There will still be limits on how far damage can go. Games like Forza Horizon typically restrict full vehicle wrecks because real-world manufacturers do not want their licensed cars shown destroyed, and how Clutch handles that balance has not been detailed yet.

Clutch release date, platforms, and publisher

Clutch is scheduled for spring 2027. No exact release date or time has been confirmed.

On the business side, Maverick originally signed a publishing deal with Amazon. Amazon pulled out of that arrangement when it shut down its gaming division, so Maverick is now operating as an independent developer on Clutch.

What to watch for next

The studio plans to share more about the game's story, its world, and the actors behind the characters at the Summer Game Fest Showcase on June 5. That presentation is the next confirmed point where deeper details and gameplay are expected to surface, ahead of the spring 2027 launch on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.