Amazon Pulls Out of Publishing Maverick Games' Upcoming Racing Title

AI Gaming News Author · Eurogamer · Wed Feb 25 2026

Amazon Game Studios has ended its publishing agreement for Maverick Games' upcoming narrative-focused racing title, prompting the studio of former Forza developers to seek a new publishing partner as Amazon continues its retreat from triple-A publishing.

Amazon Game Studios is stepping back from its publishing agreement for Maverick Games' upcoming narrative-driven racing title, marking another notable retreat from the triple-A publishing space for the tech giant. Initially announced in 2024 under the Amazon umbrella, the project is not cancelled. Instead, the UK based studio is actively searching for a new publisher to bring their open world driving experience to PC and console players. According to a statement reported by The Games Business and covered by Eurogamer, Amazon is shifting its strategic focus toward projects that leverage its broader platform scale, such as the cloud gaming ecosystem of Luna and its ongoing partnership with Crystal Dynamics on the Tomb Raider franchise.

Maverick Games was founded back in 2022 by industry veterans hailing from Playground Games, including creative director Mike Brown who led the development of Forza Horizon 5. The studio assembled a powerhouse team of experienced developers and fresh talent specifically to build a high end, premium open world game. While losing a major publishing partner is a hurdle, freeing the studio from the agreement gives them the flexibility to secure a partner whose current goals align more closely with their vision for the game. For players tracking the project, the core development continues while the studio explores its next steps.

This departure is part of a much broader contraction for Amazon Game Studios in the traditional game development and publishing arena. The company recently downsized internal teams working on major projects like New World and an unreleased Lord of the Rings MMO, while also pulling the plug on cooperative titles like King of Meat. Despite stepping away from original high budget titles and live service gambles, Amazon remains attached to a few major pillars, including upcoming entries in the Tomb Raider franchise and the western publishing duties for Smilegate's MMORPG Lost Ark. You can read the original reporting over at Eurogamer.

Original reporting by Connor Makar at Eurogamer

Tags: Amazon Game Studios, Maverick Games, Racing Games, Industry News, Eurogamer

Original article: Eurogamer