Clutch will be narrative-focused because “Forza wouldn’t do it
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← Clutch • News12 September 2026 — 4 minute read
By Martin Bigg
Before Clutch was officially announced this year, the project was teased in 2024 as a “narrative-led, open-world driving game.” That was when Amazon Game Studios was going to publish the game before Focus Entertainment took over last month.
Featuring a star-studded lineup including Little Simz, Peter Serafinowicz and Jane Perry, the story centres on siblings Theo and Cass, who live a double life competing in the prestigious R1K league alongside illegal underground street racing.
The announcement trailer showcases dramatic action set pieces, daring heists and high-speed police chases on the streets of Monaco.
Racing games don’t have a reputation for their compelling storylines, but Maverick wants to change this perception with Clutch.
“Everybody we’ve spoken to has been dying for a racing game with a proper narrative,” Principal Game Designer, Ben Sharples, said to Traxion.
“Those games did exist in greater numbers in the past. It felt like an obvious thing that we all wanted to do but couldn’t in the previous format.”
“We knew Forza wouldn’t do it,” Creative Director Mike Brown, who previously worked on the Forza Horizon series at Playground Games, added.
“There are barriers, so we knew that they wouldn’t do it. It was important that our key big messages were things we knew would not be appearing in Forza.”
Its central narrative became an important aspect when pitching what sets Clutch apart.
“We’ve got a bit of VC funding, but we needed to get more money to make the game,” said Brown.
“If people got a sense that we’ve just left Forza to make another Forza, then no one will give you money for that because you’re just going to come out with the worst game.”
“On a creative level, we wanted to do something fresh and new,” he continued.
“I think anybody who goes out pitching a game where you are [saying] ‘we’re going to be the new Fortnite, the new Call of Duty, the new Forza, the new Minecraft.’
“Those games never, ever make it because no one with the money wants to [invest]. You just look like an idiot. It’s like, ‘oh, so you’re going to go and take on Call of Duty, the multi-billion dollar franchise with an infinite budget and five studios from scratch.’”
With its big-budget story campaign, Maverick is confident there is room for another open-world racing IP alongside Forza Horizon, The Crew and Test Drive Unlimited. “We tried to position ourselves in what we saw as a vacant space,” said Brown. “If you really went big on the narrative, there would be no one else challenging us for that.”
“If you’re playing and enjoying Forza, we would offer enough differences that you could play both games. One player can play both. It’s not direct: they have to choose. And I would argue there have been some driving games where they’ve gone toe to toe with Forza, and it forces a choice.”
The Crew Motorfest, for example, adopts a familiar festival theme inspired by Forza Horizon, something Brown was keen to avoid: “If I’m a player, these games are similar enough. They’re festival racers that might boil down to ‘do you want to go to Japan or Hawaii?’”
“You’re probably not going to play both. Whereas I think what we offer is different enough that you can be very happy with Forza Horizon 6 and still feel like our game is worth playing as well.”
Clutch isn’t the first racing game to implement a story campaign. Most recently, Grid Legends made a noble attempt with a narrative told through live-action cutscenes, while Need for Speed Unbound incorporated cel-shaded characters.
Clutch could be the best attempt at blending a modern racing game with cinematic storytelling yet, however, with its intriguing characters, strong voice cast and action set pieces. While Maverick didn’t confirm the campaign’s length, it’s clear that the team is determined to break the Forza Horizon mould.
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