Amazon continues its games cull, dropping driving game from Forza Horizon devs
The company will no longer publish Maverick Games’ debut title
Amazon Games is dropping the open-world driving game from UK studio Maverick Games.
Maverick Games was founded in 2022 by several of the core team behind the Forza Horizon series, including creative director Mike Brown.
As reported by The Game Business, Maverick’s debut title is still in development, but it’s now seeking a new publishing partner after Amazon parted company with the studio.
In recent months, Amazon has significantly scaled back its games operation, ending most of its MMO projects, including New World, which will shut down next year. It’s also announced the closure of platformer King of Meat and sold MOBA March of Giants to Ubisoft. Amazon Games Studios’ boss, Christoph Hartmann, left last month.
In a statement, an Amazon Game Studios spokesperson said the company would focus on its streaming platform, Luna, and its upcoming Tomb Raider projects.
“As part of our strategic evolution to focus on projects that leverage Amazon’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,” it said.
“We have tremendous respect for the Maverick Games team and the compelling narrative-led driving experience they’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’re proud of what we accomplished together during our partnership and wish them every success in the future.”
