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Come next spring, Forza Horizon will have some competition in the domain of open-world driving games. Today, Maverick Games, a new studio fronted by FH5 Creative Director Mike Brown, has officially announced Clutch, a narrative-heavy sandbox racing title set in the French Riviera, at the intersection of a prestigious motorsports championship and a seedy underbelly of street racing and organized crime. It’ll land on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, and PC.
The blending of sanctioned circuit racing by day with an underground element when night falls isn’t a strictly new concept; Need for Speed Heat explored a similar framework back in 2019. But, with NFS seemingly on ice, and Forza Horizon going for a more sanitized racing universe, Clutch looks to be carving a path nobody else is right now. The trailer shows police chases and gadgets, like nitrous and grappling hooks, to outrun pursuers. Contrast that with racing liveried cars on closed tracks, which may as well be straight out of Forza Motorsport or Gran Turismo.
Per a press release, the story follows “sibling racing prodigies” competing in this championship, known as the R1K, which dates back exactly a century. Our protagonist gets involved with the wrong crowd and well, we can only guess at the chaos that unfolds.
Welcome to CLUTCH // Official Reveal
Maverick describes the game’s format as “PvPvE,” meaning players will race each other but also have to work together on occasion to outrun a common foe. The studio speaks of “hand-crafted and spontaneous missions and races that break the mold of modern driving games,” and well, modern driving games could arguably use a break of the mold these days.
The trailer treats us to a pretty solid view of a varied car roster, which contains, in no particular order: the FD Mazda RX-7, Aston Martin Valhalla, E31 BMW 850 CSi, E46 BMW M3 GTR, 930 Porsche 911 Turbo, Porsche 911 GT3 S/C, Alfa Romeo 4C, GD Impreza WRX STI, first-gen Renault Mégane RS, current Land Rover Defender, and, of course, the R34 Nissan Skyline GT-R. What street-racing game would be complete without it?
Maverick Games
Maverick is touting a proprietary physics engine with a deep customization suite. Considering the footage shows off the ability to swap out everything from what you’d expect, like wings, bumpers, and rims, to nitty-gritty details like exhaust tips, steering wheels, upholstery color, and racing seats, I’d say that tracks. You can even add underglow to your vehicles.
It must be said that the vehicles do look really, really good. Interior shots of the 850 CSi in particular show off lifelike materials and intricate textures, fitted with buttons and switchgear with the proper labels and fonts. Tiny details, but these could be the best-looking digital cars this side of GT7. In a decidedly un-GT move, though, players will have the freedom to clutter up their cars’ cabins, too, placing trinkets on the dash, cups in cupholders, and balled-up hoodies in the passenger seat.
The E46 M3 GTR is an inspired choice. Maverick Games
We have many questions about Clutch, but, also, a long time to get answers, as Maverick is targeting a spring 2027 release. You can expect more information about the game’s story, actors, and world on June 5, during Geoff Keighley’s Summer Game Fest.
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Backed by a decade of covering cars and consumer tech, Adam Ismail is a Senior Editor at The Drive, focused on curating and producing the site’s slate of daily stories.
