Amazon Abandons Open-World Racing Game by Former Forza Horizon Developers, Maverick Games

Amazon Abandons Open-World Racing Game by Former Forza Horizon Developers, Maverick Games

Maverick Games, a studio formed by ex-Forza Horizon developers, will have to find a new publisher for its debut open-world racing game after Amazon ab

Elena Diop
Elena Diop·Tech & Innovation Reporter
·2 min read

Amazon's decision to release Maverick Games from their consequences for the studio and the gaming industry. The game, which was in development, was expected to be a major release, and its abandonment by Amazon will likely cause delays and uncertainty.

Maverick Games was founded in 2022 by Mike Brown, who served as the Horizon series' creative director during his stint at Playground Games. The studio has been working on the game, which aims to be a premium, AAA title.

According to, the decision to release Maverick Games from their publishing agreement was made as part of their strategic evolution to focus on projects that leverage Amazon's unique strengths and scale.

The company has its own projects, including the recent re-launch of Luna and its Tomb Raider franchise partnership with Crystal Dynamics. This move suggests that Amazon is shifting its focus towards projects that are more closely aligned with its core business and strengths.

Amazon's push into gaming has yielded mixed results, seemingly committed to developing its Luna streaming service but struggling as a publisher and developer. The company has faced setbacks with games such as Crucible, New World, and Lord of the Rings MMO, which will shut down on April 9, less than a year.

The future of Amazon's Lord of the Rings MMO is unclear, but still have a Raider games on its release slate, one of which is a reimagining of the original series entry from1996. As Amazon continues to evolve its gaming strategy, it remains to be seen how the company will balance its ambitions with its limitations.

The abandonment of the publishing agreement with Maverick Games the future of the studio. The studio will have to find a new publisher to bring the game to market, which may cause delays and uncertainty.

However, the studio's founder, Mike Brown, has expressed his commitment to creating a high and it is likely that the studio will continue to work on the game despite the setback.

As the gaming industry continues to evolve, it will be interesting to see how Amazon's decision to abandon the publishing agreement with Maverick Games will impact the studio and the industry as a whole.

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Elena Diop

Elena Diop

Tech & Innovation Reporter

Leads the Tech & Innovation Desk, exploring AI, digital culture, and emerging technology ecosystems across Africa and beyond. Powered by Calmorah Intelligence™ with human oversight.

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