“As part of our strategic evolution to focus on projects that leverage Amazon’s unique strengths and scale, including the recent re-launch of Luna and our Tomb Raider franchise partnership with Crystal Dynamics, we have decided to release Maverick Games from their publishing agreement with Amazon Game Studios,” said the spokesperson.

“We have tremendous respect for the Maverick Games team and the compelling narrative-led driving experience they’re creating. This decision allows Maverick Games the flexibility to find a publishing partner whose strategic priorities are better aligned with bringing their game to market. We’re proud of what we accomplished together during our partnership and wish them every success in the future.”

Creative director Mike Brown and co-founder/CEO Harindar Sangha thanked Amazon Games for the partnership in their statement. They also noted that the narrative-focused driving game is still in development, and that the studio has already begun talks with other publishers.

“We’re grateful to Amazon Games for their partnership and collaboration. Development of our debut title continues to progress as strongly as planned,” they said. “We’re in active dialogue with partners who share our long-term ambition for the IP and look forward to sharing more later this year.”

Amazon Games had originally announced that it would be publishing the title by Maverick Games back in May 2024. At the time, VP Christoph Hartmann still led the division, but he left the company back in January.

While Maverick Games hasn’t yet revealed many details about its upcoming project, the studio comprises industry veterans who have previously worked at large studios, including Forza Horizon developer Playground Games. Brown himself served as the creative director on the series before his departure.

Maverick Games was founded in 2023, and has been working on its driving game since then. The project is described as a “narrative-led open world driving game”. It is still unclear, however, what form this narrative will take and what kind of driving gameplay will be offered. While the studio has a strong background in open-world racing titles, the lack of “racing” in the description might indicate a different approach.

Amazon Games kicked off its move away from AAA game publishing back in October, when the company halted development on New World: Aeternum and laid off over 14,000 employees. In December, the company also sold the rights for the in-development MOBA March of Giants to Ubisoft. The title was described as an “ambitious new entrant” into a genre dominated by Dota 2 and League of Legends.

Amazon Games has announced that it has signed on as the publisher for Maverick Games’ debut title, which Amazon describes as a “a narrative-led open world driving game”. The game, though currently unannounced, is confirmed to be in development for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.

“We founded Maverick Games with a clear vision: to build a developer-first studio that would foster an environment of creativity and risk-taking,” said Maverick Games studio head and creative director Mike Brown. “This approach empowers our team to produce the most exceptional work of their careers. And ultimately, that means we are creating a game that our players are going to fall in love with. As we got to know the team at Amazon Games it quickly became clear that we had a shared ethos — a commitment to giving developers the space to really innovate in service of crafting experiences that players will find truly special. Without giving too much away, I will share that the team here is buzzing with excitement about our game and we can’t wait to share it with the world.”

“In our 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,” said Amazon Games VP Christoph Hartmann. “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. 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.”

How long it’ll be before we hear more about Maverick’s title, or what launch window the studio and Amazon are currently targeting for the game, remains to be seen.

The open world racer joins Amazon’s growing portfolio of games, which, in addition to existing and ongoing titles like New World and Lost Ark, also includes other major upcoming games, like Crystal Dynamics’ next Tomb Raider title.

Other veterans joining the studio include executive producer Tom Butcher (former lead producer at Playground), content director Gareth Harwood, audio director Fraser Strachan and CTO Matt Craven. It also sees Elly Marshall, former design director at EA, joining as UX/UI director. Ben Penrose joins as art director, having recently been at Sharkmob but also having experience at Playground Games. Harinder Sangha serves as COO, with her previous experience including Sega Hardlight and Sumo Leamington.

“[In 2021] we shipped Forza Horizon 5, which was a thrill to work on,” said Brown. “As much as I had an amazing journey at Playground, I was asking myself, what’s next? Do I stick with this fun, good job? Or do I look for other opportunities? This opportunity came up. I was asked what my vision would be for a new studio…and it was lucky I had an idea in mind.”

Though there are only ten employees, Maverick aims to grow to 140 over time. Stay tuned for more details on its first game in the future.