Ex-Forza Horizon developers are starting their own studio and working on an open world game

Six former Playground Games employees have started the new studio Maverick Games. This studio is based in the UK and is working on an ‘AAA open world game’. The game “not necessarily” includes racing, the makers say.

Forza Horizon 5 creative director Mike Brown is leading the development team. He says to Games Industry to have started the new studio because he was ready for something new after his work on Horizon 5. The company has only recently been established and says it has enough money to make its first game thanks to a London investor.

Maverick Games does not yet want to say what kind of game it is, only that it will be an “AAA open world game”. Playground Games has so far only developed the Forza Horizon racing titles, but even though most of the team comes from that studio, Brown says the new game will “not necessarily” be a racing game.

In the interview, Brown also says that he looks at how gamers play now and points to, for example, the rise of subscriptions such as Xbox Game Pass and cheaper games at the Steam Sale, for example. As a result, game makers would have to fight more for the attention of players. Brown therefore wants the game not to become repetitive, “but that players always have something to do.” When the game should appear is not known. The game is available for both PC and consoles.