Amazon have released UK studio Maverick Games from a deal to publish the story-led open-world driving game the latter have been working on for a number of years. The split leaves Maverick, founded in 2022 by ex-Playground Games devs including Forza Horizon 5 creative director Mike Brown, looking for a new partner. Though, they say they’re already in “active dialogue” with such folks.

The nixing of Amazon and Maverick’s deal was first reported by The Game Business, who cite an Amazon spokesperson as having confirmed this decision’s been made as the company narrow their focus to Tomb Raider and their Luna streaming service. Said narrowing has already seen Amazon’s games arm lay off a bunch of staff while moving to close down the likes of MMO New World and platformer King of Meat.

“We have tremendous respect for the Maverick Games team and the compelling narrative-led driving experience they’re creating,” the Amazon spokesperson told The Game Business. “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’re proud of what we accomplished together during our partnership and wish them every success in the future.”

Maverick co-founder Brown and studio head Harinder Sangha told TGB that work on the game “continues to progress as strongly as planned” and that they’re “in active dialogue with partners who share our long-term ambition” for it. They also indicated they’re hoping to share more info later this year.

From that, it at least seems like Maverick are on their way to finding the new publisher they need, rather than having been left scrambling by an unexpectly sudden pulling of support. Their as of writing unnamed debut driving game sounds like it could be cool, with Brown having spoken in 2024 about how its story-driven nature is an effort to help it stand out from the crowd in a genre packed with wheely good wheelers. Maverick have drafted in Jamie Brittain, co-creator of British teen drama Skins, as lead writer. The goal’s to create characters who’re “flawed and actually a little bit weird – just like the rest of us” to drive a natural “human connection” of the sort you don’t tend to get with the sorts of one-dimensional pedal-pushers you get in many racing games.

It remains a very intriguing idea in my eyes, even if story-heavy racing games have historically been a famously mixed bag – for every Need For Speed: Most Wanted or Driver: San Francisco, there’s a nothingy narrative like Need For Speed: The Run or a cliche-filled cringe-fest like last year’s JDM: Japanese Drift Master.