Ex-Forza Horizon Developers Partner with Amazon for New Open-World Racing Game
Maverick Games, an assembly of top developers who once developed the Metacritic-breaking Forza Horizon series, is creating a brand-new open-world racing game. However, more importantly, the company is on a mission to make something that's not been done before.
Working with an independent publisher known as Amazon Games, Maverick wants to make a racer that has a narrative. It’s not the type of story in which racers get into a car and win numerous races. A story. With characters and other stuff.
The project damaged its cover, as revealed in a blog announcement on Amazon Games’ official site. It’s an ambitious game this genre has not seen in many years.
“Lots of great driving games have amazing gameplay, amazing content,” says Mike Brown, studio head and creative director at Maverick Games and the former director of creative of Playground Games. “But to truly get over that hump and make it an experience that people truly enjoy, there has to be a human connection that you’re rooting for these characters, and then falling in love with the characters.
“That, I think, is a place where our game will be able to really differentiate itself from the other titles in the genre. There’s nothing about this genre that prevents it from having amazing characters and amazing stories — it’s just not really been explored yet.”
In this regard, Maverick has signed up BAFTA-winning Skins co-creator Jamie Brittain, a writer who has a knack for creating memorable characters such as the brash and troubled Cook as well as the black-chipped nail polish addict Effy.
“That is Jamie’s superpower,” Brown says. Brown. “It’s creating those characters that are flawed and actually a little bit weird – just like the rest of us – and through that we can empathise with them, we can fall in love with them.”
While Maverick Games is going public with the announcement of this project, it’s only the beginning, and they’ve not revealed the name or even the car list or place to be. It’s possible that there will be a taste of Forza Horizon’s stunningly accessible car handling and open-world concept based on the large number of Playground Games alumni working on the project, but for now, it’s just an assumption.
The location of the game hasn’t been announced at the moment, but should it not be located in Bristol, we’re not keen on it anymore and won’t be playing it.