Maverick Games has finally put real footage of Clutch on the table, and the reaction from racing-game fans is already telling its own story: this is not being received like another safe, glossy driving sim. The studio, led by former Forza Horizon creative director Mike Brown, showed around an hour of gameplay from the opening stretch, and viewers came away talking about atmosphere, detail, and a welcome change of pace from the familiar Forza Horizon formula.
That matters because Clutch is trying to sell more than speed. It casts players as a modern criminal racer living two lives: one in an elite daytime series called R1K, the other in night-time chases and escapes built for spectacle. That split identity gives Maverick a clearer hook than most genre projects, and it also explains why players are already comparing it with Forza Horizon rather than treating it as a generic new IP.
Clutch gameplay shows the opening hours
The livestream covered the start of the adventure, including the intro, the French Riviera open world, cutscenes, and even on-foot sections. Maverick was careful to say the game is still far from finished, so bugs and rough edges are expected, but that didn’t stop commenters from praising the lively feel of the driving and the attention to small details.
One viewer called it ”a breath of fresh air after 10 years of the same Forza Horizon.” Hyperbole, sure, but the praise points to a real opening in the market: players are clearly hungry for racing games that take a swing at style and presentation instead of just polishing the same festival-template loop again.
Clutch is being built on Unreal Engine 5
Brown said development has been running for three and a half years, and that Clutch is meant to rethink driving as a relationship between car and driver, not just a lap time obsession. The game is being built on a custom version of Unreal Engine 5, which fits the cinematic pitch and gives Maverick a shot at the kind of visual punch that increasingly separates ambitious racers from everything else on the shelf.
- Genre: cinematic racing action
- Setting: the French Riviera open world
- Platforms: PC (Steam, EGS), PS5, Xbox Series X and S
- Release window: spring 2027
- Extras: Russian text translation, deep car customization, Unreal Engine 5 graphics
The real test comes in spring 2027
For now, Clutch has done the easy part: it has made people curious. The harder job is proving that its story, stealthier crime angle, and flashy set pieces can carry a full game without collapsing into style over substance. By spring 2027, racing fans will know whether Maverick has built a genuine alternative to the genre’s usual heavyweights, or just a very attractive detour.