The members come from various backgrounds, including Forza Horizon 5 creative director Mike Brown.

Another day, another studio – this time from the talented people behind the excellent Forza Horizon 5, which won the Best Open World award in 2021. Maverick Games – obviously big Top Gun fans, haha – announced yesterday the formation of Forza 5 creative director Mike Brown.

In addition to Brown, the studio’s founders include several former Playground Games developers, as well as former Sumo Digital co-studio head Harinder Sangha and EA’s director of experience design Elly Marshall.

The announcement was accompanied by a template quote from Brown, which manages to hit all the classic studio announcement clichés.

“Our goal is for Maverick Games to be a studio people will love,” he says. “For players, we’re already at work on an exciting ultra-high quality title, and for developers, we’re building a home where everyone is encouraged to take risks, be curious, be creative, be innovative, be themselves, and above all – be a Maverick.”

Of course, mavericks are terrible team players, and they’re probably the last thing you want in a highly collaborative development studio. Oh, no, I got to be the police chief in an 80s cop movie who tells the hero he’s out of control. Maverick Games, give me your gun and badge!

These loose cannons are already working on their first game: a “premium open-world game for consoles and PC”.

That’s all we’re getting so far, but the team certainly has plenty of experience when it comes to open worlds. Although Forza Horizon 5 didn’t hold many surprises, it is one of the most sophisticated and vibrant open-world games out there. More of the same, please!

As for their previous employers, Playground Games is still supporting FH5. Another team is working on the Fable reboot if all is true.

Source: Maverick Games

EXCITING UPDATE: Today we're announcing the launch of Maverick Games, a new, independent AAA studio based in the the bustling game dev hub of Leamington Spa, UK.
Come join us! https://t.co/PeVXuAFQKD#BeAMaverick #MaverickGames #UKGameDev

— Maverick Games (@MaverickGames) January 10, 2023