Forza Horizon veterans reveal their debut racer on June 2 — without a publisher
The team behind Forza Horizon 5 is stepping out on its own. Maverick Games — founded in early 2023 by Mike Brown, creative director of Forza Horizon 5, alongside veterans from Playground Games, EA, and Sumo Digital — will fully reveal its debut open-world driving game on June 2 at 11:00 AM ET. The timing is pointed: Forza Horizon 6 just sold roughly 4.9 million copies in its first week, per Alinea Analytics, and Maverick wants a piece of that audience.
The pitch
This isn't another arcade lap-timer. Maverick is building a narrative-led open-world racer set on the French Riviera — coastal roads, sun-bleached scenery, and a story scripted by Jamie Brittian, co-creator of the British drama Skins. That combination of driving and genuine storytelling is rare in the genre; most open-world racers treat plot as an afterthought. A YouTube countdown and some cryptic social teasing — including a decidedly un-glamorous Fiat Multipla — have been the studio's warm-up act.
The game is planned for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S, though no release window or pricing has been confirmed.
Are you ready for our trailer reveal? ?
— Maverick Games (@MaverickGames) May 26, 2026
The risk
There's a significant catch. Amazon Games signed on as publisher when the project started, but pulled out in February 2026 as part of a broader retreat from original AAA development — shifting focus to established franchises like Tomb Raider and Lord of the Rings. Maverick owns its own IP, which matters, but funding and distributing an AAA open-world title without a major publisher behind it is, as one analyst put it, a steep hill to climb in 2026. The studio says it is in "active dialogue" with potential partners, but no deal has been announced ahead of the reveal.
What to watch on June 2
The reveal itself lands one day before Sony's State of Play, which is either brave scheduling or a calculated grab for the news cycle. Regardless, June 2 should answer the questions that matter most: what the game actually looks like in motion, whether a publisher has been secured, and how directly Maverick plans to position itself against the Horizon series its founders helped build.
