Amazon Games Lands Open-World Driving Game From Ex-Forza Horizon Devs

ign.com:

Forza Horizon may soon have some competition. Amazon Games announced today that it has struck a deal with Maverick Games for a "narrative-led open-world driving game," which is set to release on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.

Maverick Games, a studio spearheaded by numerous Playground Games veterans, is leading development on the new project. The studio's leadership includes Forza Horizon 5 creative director Mike Brown.

"We founded Maverick Games with a clear vision: to build a developer-first studio that would foster an environment of creativity and risk-taking," Brown said in a statement. "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."

Billed as a AAA project, the untitled game may be more story-driven than the Forza Horizon games. Its lead writer is Jamie Brittain, whose work includes the British teen drama Skins. In a 2023 interview with RPS, Brittain talked about bringing a TV writing process to the studio.

"Narrative and storytelling is fundamental to being a human being, and people who are good writers are just a little bit better at expressing that," he said. “If you talk to anyone for long enough, they’ve got a story. And if you tell someone a story, people have got opinions on it. For me, that’s always been the magic of a writers’ room. Ninety percent of all the best TV shows you’ve ever seen are made that way. And it’s a gloriously fun way of doing things."

Amazon Games has not announced a release date or a title for the new game. Its