{"id":1792257,"date":"2026-02-25T12:22:25","date_gmt":"2026-02-25T09:22:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1792257"},"modified":"2026-02-25T12:22:25","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T09:22:25","slug":"amazon-abandons-upcoming-racing-game-from-former-forza-devs-as-its-departure-from-triple-a-publishing-continues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1792257","title":{"rendered":"Amazon abandons upcoming racing game from former Forza devs, as its departure from triple-A publishing continues"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"article \" data-ads=\"true\" data-article-type=\"news\" data-article-group=\"news\" data-paywalled=\"false\" data-premium=\"false\" data-sponsored=\"false\" data-type=\"article\">\n<header class=\"article_header\" data-component=\"article-header\">\n<div class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n<nav class=\"nav_breadcrumbs\" data-component=\"nav-breadcrumbs\" aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\">\n<ul class=\"nav-links\">\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      Home<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/news\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      News<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/nav><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_details\" id=\"main-content\">\n<h1 class=\"title\">Amazon abandons upcoming racing game from former Forza devs, as its departure from triple-A publishing continues<\/h1>\n<p class=\"strapline\">Stalled.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_asset\">\n<figure class=\"headline_image_wrapper\">\n<p>        <img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"headline_image\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/Template-w-shadow%2C-blue%2C-split%2C-switch-2-(2).jpg?width=570&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;dpr=3&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"Maverick Games racing game custom header\" loading=\"eager\" data-uri=\"Template-w-shadow%2C-blue%2C-split%2C-switch-2-(2).jpg\" data-lightbox width=\"570\" height=\"321\"><figcaption>\n          <span class=\"attribution\">Image credit: <cite>Eurogamer<\/cite><\/span><br \/>\n        <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"metadata\">\n<div class=\"avatar\">\n<p>    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Connor Makar avatar\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/tAtwiaBo_400x400.jpg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"374\" height=\"374\"><\/p>\n<p>  <img alt=\"Connor Makar avatar\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-uri=\"tAtwiaBo_400x400.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"374\" height=\"374\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text\">\n<div class=\"byline\">\n                  <span class=\"article_type\" data-slug=\"news\"><br \/>\n                    News<br \/>\n                  <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"by\">by<\/span> <span class=\"author\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/authors\/connor-makar\">Connor Makar<\/a><\/span>                    <span class=\"job_title\"><br \/>\n                      Staff Writer<br \/>\n                    <\/span>\n            <\/div>\n<div class=\"published_at\">\nPublished on <time datetime=\"2026-02-25T12:22:25+00:00\">Feb. 25, 2026<\/time>              <\/div>\n<div class=\"comments\">\n      <a class=\"comments__link comments-bubble\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/amazon-abandons-upcoming-racing-game-from-former-forza-devs-as-its-departure-from-triple-a-publishing-continues?view=comments\" rel=\"nofollow\"><br \/>\n          11 comments<br \/>\n      <\/a>\n    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p>Amazon Game Studios will no longer be publishing Maverick Games&#8217; upcoming narrative-led racing game, as part of its continued stumble out of the triple-A games business.<\/p>\n<p>First reported <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thegamebusiness.com\/p\/amazon-abandons-its-open-world-driving\">by The Games Business<\/a>, this upcoming title from Maverick Games was first <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/amazon-publishing-narrative-led-racer-from-former-forza-horizon-devs-skins-co-creator\">announced as a project-in-development under Amazon&#8217;s umbrella back in 2024<\/a>. It has not been cancelled as of writing, as the UK-based studio looks to find a new publisher.<\/p>\n<p>In a statement issued to The Games Business, an Amazon spokesperson said: &#8220;As part of our strategic evolution to focus on projects that leverage Amazon&#8217;s unique strengths and scale, including the recent re-launch of Luna and our Tomb Raider franchise partnership with Crystal Dynamics, we have decided to release Maverick Games from their publishing agreement with Amazon Game Studios.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We have tremendous respect for the Maverick Games team and the compelling narrative-led driving experience they&#8217;re creating. This decision allows Maverick Games the flexibility to find a publishing partner whose strategic priorities are better aligned with bringing their game to market. We&#8217;re proud of what we accomplished together during our partnership and wish them every success in the future.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Maverick Games, which was founded in 2022 by former <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/forza-horizon\">Forza Horizon<\/a> developers from Playground Games, broke away to create a &#8220;premium open-world game for consoles and PC&#8221;. The studio is led by Mike Brown, who was the creative director on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/forza-horizon-5\">Forza Horizon 5<\/a>, and is joined by other veterans from the studio alongside fresh faces.<\/p>\n<p>Amazon Game Studios <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/amazon-reportedly-gutting-its-video-game-division-as-part-of-14000-company-wide-job-cuts\"> recently decimated its in-house development teams<\/a> working on games such as MMORPG New World and an in-development Lord of the Rings MMO. It has also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.polygon.com\/king-of-meat-canceled-amazon-game-studios-refunds\/\">killed its released multiplayer co-op game King of Meat this week<\/a>, which joins Crucible and Breakaway on the pile of attempts to break into the live service space.<\/p>\n<p>Amazon Game Studios is still, as of writing, publishing two upcoming <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/tomb-raider-games-order\">Tomb Raider games<\/a>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/fully-fledged-from-the-ground-up-tomb-raider-remake-announced\">Legacy of Atlantis<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/next-tomb-raider-game-known-as-catalyst-finally-revealed-at-the-game-awards\">Tomb Raider Catalyst<\/a>. It&#8217;s also still in charge of the<a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/lost-ark-is-blowing-up-and-i-can-totally-see-why\"> western release of Lost Ark<\/a>, the popular MMORPG first created by Smilegate.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"preferred-source\" data-component=\"preferred-source\">\nLove Eurogamer.net? Make us a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\">Preferred Source on Google<\/a> and catch more of our coverage in your feeds.  <\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p>Amazon Game Studios will no longer be publishing Maverick Games&#8217; upcoming narrative-led racing game, as part of its continued stumble out of the triple-A games business.<\/p>\n<p>First reported <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thegamebusiness.com\/p\/amazon-abandons-its-open-world-driving\">by The Games Business<\/a>, this upcoming title from Maverick Games was first <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/amazon-publishing-narrative-led-racer-from-former-forza-horizon-devs-skins-co-creator\">announced as a project-in-development under Amazon&#8217;s umbrella back in 2024<\/a>. It has not been cancelled as of writing, as the UK-based studio looks to find a new publisher.<\/p>\n<p>In a statement issued to The Games Business, an Amazon spokesperson said: &#8220;As part of our strategic evolution to focus on projects that leverage Amazon&#8217;s unique strengths and scale, including the recent re-launch of Luna and our Tomb Raider franchise partnership with Crystal Dynamics, we have decided to release Maverick Games from their publishing agreement with Amazon Game Studios.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We have tremendous respect for the Maverick Games team and the compelling narrative-led driving experience they&#8217;re creating. This decision allows Maverick Games the flexibility to find a publishing partner whose strategic priorities are better aligned with bringing their game to market. We&#8217;re proud of what we accomplished together during our partnership and wish them every success in the future.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Maverick Games, which was founded in 2022 by former <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/forza-horizon\">Forza Horizon<\/a> developers from Playground Games, broke away to create a &#8220;premium open-world game for consoles and PC&#8221;. The studio is led by Mike Brown, who was the creative director on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/forza-horizon-5\">Forza Horizon 5<\/a>, and is joined by other veterans from the studio alongside fresh faces.<\/p>\n<p>Amazon Game Studios <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/amazon-reportedly-gutting-its-video-game-division-as-part-of-14000-company-wide-job-cuts\"> recently decimated its in-house development teams<\/a> working on games such as MMORPG New World and an in-development Lord of the Rings MMO. It has also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.polygon.com\/king-of-meat-canceled-amazon-game-studios-refunds\/\">killed its released multiplayer co-op game King of Meat this week<\/a>, which joins Crucible and Breakaway on the pile of attempts to break into the live service space.<\/p>\n<p>Amazon Game Studios is still, as of writing, publishing two upcoming <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/tomb-raider-games-order\">Tomb Raider games<\/a>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/fully-fledged-from-the-ground-up-tomb-raider-remake-announced\">Legacy of Atlantis<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/next-tomb-raider-game-known-as-catalyst-finally-revealed-at-the-game-awards\">Tomb Raider Catalyst<\/a>. It&#8217;s also still in charge of the<a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/lost-ark-is-blowing-up-and-i-can-totally-see-why\"> western release of Lost Ark<\/a>, the popular MMORPG first created by Smilegate.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Home News Amazon abandons upcoming racing game from former Forza devs, as its departure from triple-A publishing continues Stalled. Image credit: Eurogamer News by Connor Makar Staff Writer Published on Feb. 25, 2026 11 comments Amazon Game Studios will no longer be publishing Maverick Games&#8217; upcoming narrative-led racing game, as part of its continued stumble [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,253],"class_list":["post-1792257","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-eurogamer-net"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1792257","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1792257"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1792257\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1792257"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1792257"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1792257"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}