Amazon is publishing new open-world racer from former Forza developers

Amazon is continuing to expand its presence in video game publishing. The latest example: the company is teaming up with Maverick Games, a new studio formed by former Forza developers at Playground, to launch “a narrative-led open-world driving game.” There’s no title or release date for the game, but it’ll be coming to PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X / S when it does launch.

Publishing has become a large facet of Amazon’s push into gaming, with the company partnering with Bandai Namco on the upcoming anime MMO Blue Protocol as well as Crystal Dynamics on the next Tomb Raider game. Amazon is also developing a Lord of the Rings MMO at its internal Orange County studio, which previously launched New World. Many of these projects tie into other Amazon productions; the company has a Lord of the Rings series on Prime Video and recently announced a Tomb Raider show.

Maverick, meanwhile, was formed in 2022 and currently has around 60 employees. It’s led by former Forza Horizon creative director Mike Brown. “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,” Brown said in a statement.

As for Forza, there’s a good chance we’ll hear what’s next for the franchise at Xbox’s next showcase event in June.