PREVIEW: Clutch is Maverick’s All-Star Love Letter to Cinematic Car Culture

Recently, Maverick Games revealed its debut title, Clutch. This open-world racer has been dubbed a true title for car enthusiasts, and it is being pieced together by a team with real chops in the game, many of whom have a legacy in the Forza Horizon space.

During the Summer Game Fest Play Days event, I got to witness Clutch being played firsthand and was walked through an introduction to this intense, narrative-driven universe by Mike Brown, Maverick’s founder, creative director, and formerly the creative director on Forza Horizon.

As someone who isn’t the biggest fan of racing games, it’s the cinematic value of Clutch that has me floating this near the top of my wishlist.

Clutch Uses Cars to Tell a Complex and Emotional Story

The reason I’ve never fallen in with a Forza Horizon game is that I feel there’s never any real ‘story content’ to unravel. You get in, you drive your cars, you earn wristbands, and you climb the ranks; that’s about it.

But from the opening sequences of Clutch, rooted in the tougher streets of London in a time familiar to me and featuring talent that shines from the outset, I knew I’d be pulled in much faster than the Fiat Multipla trundling on the screen before me.

And that’s what happened. Even during this hands-off demo, I became intrigued by the story developing, presented front and centre by a stunning British cast: Jane Perry, Tosin Cole, Little Simz, and Peter Serafinowicz. It’s not just about the cars in Clutch, but the drama, energy, and opportunity that surrounds the entire scene.

We learn very quickly what the gist of the story is in Clutch. Theo Martial (Cole) and his sister Cass (Simz) have had a rough upbringing, but found a powerful bond and a home in the professional racing scene, occupying spots as up-and-coming superstars in the R1K tournament circuit.

Things go south during a high-stakes race; fellow racers die, and a paradigm shift takes place, actively threatening the future of a powerful and prolific racing ecosystem. Theo and Cass are pulled into an underworld of sorts, and the game is blown wide open, thrusting players into a multi-faceted open-world environment packed with car meets, energetic races, stacks of customization opportunities, and backed by a curated, original soundtrack, PvPvE multiplayer mechanics, and a polished visual palette.

The world is a particularly interesting one. While the game opens on the streets of London, it’s a short-lived thing, and before long, we’re in a replication of the Mediterranean coastline of the French Riviera. This means there are quaint, ocean-side towns, vineyards, mountainous trails, and sweeping highways to cruise along, presenting a plethora of possibilities for players everywhere.

I was assured by Mike Brown, creative director, that we haven’t seen the last of London from that opening glimpse, and that flashbacks will take us back there as the story unravels. I was also curious to know why it wasn’t centered around London, given the all-British cast.

He explained that the goal was to make Theo and Cass appear as outsiders and underdogs in this glamorous, high-profile world of supercars, yachts, and the finest of society. Their background makes them seem unlikely inhabitants of this part of the world, but it’s where they can make a name for themselves and ascend the ranks.

From multiplayer-focused car meets to being able to get out of your car and walk around showrooms to pick your newest ride, and from intricate interior customization mechanics to the boasted ability to build your dream car, Clutch certainly reads like an enthusiast’s dream game, even further than something like Forza Horizon can deliver.

I think it’s fair to say that Forza Horizon focuses on quantity, offering a live-service model with spanning seasons, hundreds of cars, countless races, and an impossible array of side content, but Clutch will focus on quality. It might not be as expansive or ambitious as a titan like Forza Horizon, but what it does, it appears to be doing extremely well.

And even if you’re not the most talented driver, like me, I’m confident you’ll find a home in the accessibility and intrigue of Clutch.

Clutch is slated to launch in Spring 2027 on XBOX, PlayStation, and PC.

Do you think Clutch is your kind of game? Let us know what you think on the Insider Gaming Discord server.

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