CLUTCH Team Explains Story-Focused Racing Design at Gamescom
The interview shows CLUTCH is a deliberate pivot from Forza Horizon's arcade model, using a Monaco setting and a Skins writer to make race outcomes matter emotionally.
Reporting from 1 source: Game Spark.
At gamescom 2026, Maverick Games' Mike Brown and Ben Penrose detailed CLUTCH, an open-world driving game set in Monaco. The title splits playtime between professional R1K circuit racing and the underground Midnight Collective, with a story by Skins writer Jamie Brittain. Brown, former Forza Horizon 5 creative director, said the narrative gives meaning to wins and losses.
Mike Brown, who led Forza Horizon 5, founded Maverick Games in 2022 and is now steering CLUTCH toward a more cinematic open-world design. The game is set in Monaco, chosen for its layered, non-grid road network and its motorsport heritage tied to the Monaco Grand Prix.
Playtime splits evenly between two car cultures: the professional R1K circuit, which carries a sports broadcast atmosphere, and the Midnight Collective, an underground street group driven by passion rather than sponsors. Brown said the goal was to create two completely different racing experiences, and the story adds weight to race outcomes.
Writer Jamie Brittain, known for the British TV drama Skins, applied to the studio after spotting a resume request on its website. Brown said the narrative investment makes winning feel earned and gives losses meaning for the characters.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.