The upcoming game seems aimed to land halfway between Forza Horizon and Fast & Furious. Open-world racing games are having a major moment in the sun right now, thanks in no small part to the early success of Forza Horizon 6. The latest entry in the genre is called Clutch—a high-budget open-world racer announced Tuesday that stands out by focusing on a story that mixes the usual organized racing of these games with a little bit of organized crime.
Clutch is the work of Maverick Games, a new studio headed up by Forza Horizon 5 creative director Mike Brown and other staff from Forza Horizon developers Playground Games. Rather than building a genericized version of the exploration-focused Horizon for their own studio, the Maverick Games team has chose to make Clutch stand out by emphasizing a more conventional video game storyline featuring a specific hero character facing challenges that go beyond the usual desire to win more races and advance up a ladder.
View Price on AmazonPart of that story will be driven by a criminal underbelly element, something that seems to open the door for police chases and other action-focused driving situations that would never make sense in a game like Forza Horizon. This also opens the door for some Fast & Furious-style antics with a more fun than realistic understanding of physics. (In a brief clip shared during the reveal video, a grappling hook can be seen pulling a car through a corner.)
Outside of that combination of narrative and action, the most interesting thing about Clutch might be its commitment to car customization. The usual wings and engine mods are present, but customization features go deeper and more esoteric in an effort to emphasize the relationship between an owner and their car. Exact details on that will have to wait, but a brief clip showing open cupholders that can be filled with options like an open can of Red Bull suggests that this system is going to be rich in strange new ideas.
Clutch is not set to launch until spring 2027, when it will hit PCs and current-generation PlayStation and Xbox consoles, but fans wanting to see more of the game should see it very soon. Maverick Games promises a "first look at the story, actors, world and what’s at stake" in Friday's annual Summer Games Fest Showcase.
Source: roadandtrack.com
