Amazon Exits Publishing Deal for High Profile Open World Racing Game An open world racing game being developed by a studio of former Forza Horizon leads is now seeking a new publisher after Amazon stepped away from the project. The studio, UK based Maverick Games, is in active discussions with potential new partners for its untitled debut title. Maverick Games was founded in 2022 by Mike Brown, the former creative director of the Forza Horizon series at Playground Games. He brought several other veterans from that acclaimed racing franchise to the new venture. While details on the game itself remain scarce, Brown stated early on that the goal was to create a premium AAA experience with award winning ambitions. A representative from Amazon Game Studios confirmed the change, stating the decision was part of a strategic shift to focus on projects that leverage Amazon’s unique strengths and scale, such as its Luna cloud service and its publishing partnership on the Tomb Raider franchise. The statement expressed respect for the Maverick team and noted the move provides them flexibility to find a publisher with aligned priorities for bringing the game to market. Amazon’s foray into game publishing and development has seen a rocky path. Its free to play shooter Crucible launched and was shut down rapidly in 2020. The MMO New World found an audience but Amazon is winding down support for it next year. The status of its planned Lord of the Rings MMO is unclear following cuts to its MMO division. Most recently, the Amazon published cooperative dungeon crawler King of Meat is scheduled to shut down in April, less than a year after its launch. Amazon Games still has two Tomb Raider projects in its portfolio, including a reimagining of the original 1996 game. The company also continues to operate its Luna game streaming platform. For Maverick Games, the search is now on for a new publishing home to bring its ambitious racing vision to players.
