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Amazon Games has signed a new agreement with Maverick Games to publish the studio’s debut triple-A title. The new multi-platform, open-world, narrative-driven driving game will be familiar territory for the startup studio. Veteran developers from Playground Games, the developer behind the Forza Horizon series, founded Maverick Games in 2022.
Maverick’s core leadership team includes senior creatives that shaped the award-winning open world driving franchise. This includes studio head and creative director Mike Brown, executive producer Tom Butcher, CTO Matt Craven, content director Gareth Harwood, audio director Fraser Strachan, art director Ben Penrose and visual design director Elly Marshall.
“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 Brown 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.”
The team also brought on Jamie Brittain, co-creator of the BAFTA award-winning British TV show Skins, as its lead writer. This further highlights the studio’s narrative ambitions for its debut title. According to Brown, the studio sees story and lovable characters as an opportunity to differentiate itself from other genre rivals.
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Amazon Games scoops up Maverick Games
Maverick is the latest addition to Amazon Games’ growing empire. Several publishers, such as NetEase and Nexon, have forged partnerships with fledgling game studios led by industry veterans as a growth strategy. This is the second partnership of its kind for Amazon, following its 2021 deal with U.K.-based studio Glowmade. Additionally, Amazon Games has partnerships with more established studios in Bandai Namco, Crystal Dynamics, NCSoft and Smilegate.
“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 Christoph Hartmann, VP, Amazon Games. “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.”
As a result, the news signals a continuing shift in the tech giant’s gaming strategy. With its first forays into game development and publishing in 2016, the Amazon initially took a more hands-on approach. A decade later, the company is still developing games in-house, but is also exploring other publishing arrangements.
In addition to the upcoming Amazon Games-developed Lord of the Rings MMO, its upcoming slate includes the next installment of Crystal Dynamics’ Tomb Raider series and Throne and Liberty from NCSoft.
Maverick Games also helps Amazon expand its footprint further in Europe. The Warwick, U.K. studio will join a newly announced Amazon Games development studio in Bucharest, Romania. Additionally, Maverick Games is hiring and looking to expand its 60-person team.
No release date was announced, but Maverick’s debut will be available on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
