Clutch is a new open world driving game from former Forza Horizon developers

Maverick Games has revealed Clutch, its first title since the studio was formed by former Forza Horizon developers in 2023. The game is an open world driving experience built around speed, car culture, and the bond between a driver and their machine. A full reveal is planned for Summer Game Fest this week, but the first teaser already gives a clear idea of what the team is trying to build.

Clutch comes from a team with strong racing game experience. Maverick Games is led by Mike Brown, the former creative director of Forza Horizon, and that background immediately raises expectations. Forza Horizon became popular because it made driving feel open, stylish, and relaxed without losing the excitement of racing. Clutch appears to be aiming for a similar emotional space, but with its own story, world, and identity.

The game’s setup focuses on two siblings who are both racing prodigies. They want to rise through the professional R1K racing series, but they also become involved with an underground racing group called the Midnight Collective. That gives Clutch two sides to explore: the structured world of professional racing and the riskier culture of street level competition.

The first teaser does not reveal deep gameplay systems yet, but it does focus heavily on atmosphere. Cars move through scenic roads, and the messaging centers on the feeling of driving rather than only winning races. Brown describes the game as being about the love of driving, the connection between car and driver, and the raw thrill of speed.

That focus could help Clutch stand apart. Many racing games talk about horsepower, customization, and competition. Clutch seems interested in the smaller human details that make car culture feel personal. Maverick Games says it has paid attention to the everyday signs of owning and living with a car, such as small items left on the dashboard, a sweater thrown onto the passenger seat, personal trinkets, and even an unpaid parking ticket sitting near the windshield.

Those details may sound minor, but they can make a car feel less like a menu item and more like something personal. If Maverick builds that idea into customization, story moments, and world design, Clutch could feel more intimate than a typical open world racing game.

The game is being developed in Unreal Engine 5, and the early footage already suggests Maverick wants Clutch to be a visual showcase. That is important because open world driving games depend heavily on scenery, lighting, road design, weather, and the sense of motion. A strong technical presentation can make even simple driving feel satisfying.

There is also an interesting business story behind the reveal. Clutch is reportedly the same open world driving project Amazon dropped earlier this year. Even so, the game appears to have survived that setback, and the teaser suggests Maverick used its earlier funding to build something polished enough to attract attention again.

The Summer Game Fest reveal will matter because players still need to see real gameplay. The teaser has style, but the bigger questions remain. People will want to know how the driving feels, how large the world is, how progression works, what customization looks like, whether there is online play, and which platforms will get the game.

For now, Clutch is worth watching because of the people behind it. Former Forza Horizon developers know how to make open world driving feel exciting, and Maverick Games now has a chance to prove it can build a new racing identity outside that franchise.

Clutch does not need to copy Forza Horizon to succeed. It needs to show why its world, characters, driving model, and car culture details matter. If the full reveal delivers on the promise of the teaser, Maverick Games could have one of the most interesting racing games of the next few years.