New UK racing studio Maverick Video games has revealed a primary take a look at the location, characters, and story of its upcoming open-world action-driving sport Clutch throughout the Summer time Recreation Fest 2026 showcase.
Clutch’s open-world world is impressed by the iconic Mediterranean shoreline of the French Riviera, with the official announcement from the studio stating it would characteristic miles of various roads and terrain, and that gamers will have the ability to “weave by vibrant metropolis streets, conquer dramatic mountain switchbacks and unleash prime velocity on breathtaking coastal highways.”
“Clutch is ready in Monaco and the surrounding French Riviera,” Maverick Video games founder Mike Brown tells IGN. “We’ve constructed a model of Monaco that’s really bigger than real-life Monaco. So Monaco, identified for being fairly dense and tight, we’ve allowed our degree designers so as to add just a little little bit of area right here and there – however each principal street, each principal landmark is current and proper. However the precise footprint of the area is bigger than real-life Monaco.
“After which that’s surrounded by a sprawling French Riviera that goes up as excessive as the Alps and out to the Verdon Gorge, after which as far to the west as Saint-Tropez. We have now three metropolis hubs alongside the coast; you’ve acquired Monaco, after which Cannes, after which Saint-Tropez. So an enormous world to discover and one which, we predict, in all places you go there’s actual stunning issues to discover and see.”
The studio has additionally debuted a narrative trailer for Clutch, and detailed how its characters discover themselves straddling a trio of various worlds, together with skilled circuit racing, a nighttime underground road racing scene, and intense, high-speed pursuits and getaways. With a script by Scottish TV author Jamie Brittain (the co-creator of acclaimed British teen drama Skins), Clutch is the story of Theo Martial and his youthful sister, Cass. With the steerage of his adoptive father Ludo, Theo is a star driver in the revered Riviera 1000 racing event – the R1K. For the functions of Clutch, the R1K is the most prestigious occasion in all motorsport, and Ludo is a former champion of the event.
After the R1K is rocked by a tragic accident on observe, nonetheless, its present custodian George McBride plans to introduce new know-how to stop any additional incidents. This controversial plan splits the drivers, and ultimately leads Theo to the Midnight Collective – the underground road racing neighborhood primarily based in the space – and into an adjoining spot of hassle that leaves him owing favours to the unsuitable form of individuals. It’s at this level, nonetheless, that Theo discovers a conspiracy at the coronary heart of the R1K.
Throughout Clutch we’ll race as each Theo, performed by Tosin Cole (Supacell, Physician Who), and Cass, performed by Little Simz (High Boy, Venom: Let There Be Carnage).
“Relying on how a lot of a fan of UK hip hop you might be will decide how excited you might be about that inclusion,” jokes Brown. “However Little Simz is mainly the greatest identify in UK hip hop at the second – in all probability the greatest feminine rapper in the world – and she or he’s additionally a terrific actor. In case you’ve seen High Boy, she performs the love curiosity of the principal character, she was in the second Venom film, she had a film on Netflix final yr known as Steve the place she starred alongside Cillian Murphy, and she or he additionally performed Glastonbury principal stage, as effectively. She was additionally at Coachella as effectively, a couple of weeks in the past, so she’s a really, very huge expertise in each display and on stage.”
French actor Grégory Montel stars as the pair’s father Ludo, and Peter Serafinowicz (who you could recall from Shaun of the Lifeless, or as The Sommelier in John Wick: Chapter 2) options as R1K boss George McBride. Clutch will even characteristic Jane Perry, who’s the BAFTA award-winning voice of the lead character in 2021’s Returnal, in addition to Agent 47’s handler Diana Burnwood in the most up-to-date Hitman trilogy. She was additionally the voice of the in-car navigation in the first two Forza Horizon video games, which is humorous contemplating how adjoining Clutch’s world finds itself to Forza Horizon 2 (which was additionally set on a section of the French Riviera, centred round Good.
It’s an entertaining coincidence that Clutch and Forza Horizon 2 discover themselves such shut neighbours, contemplating developer Maverick Video games itself is inside strolling distance of Forza Horizon developer Playground Video games.
“On this particular space, all of it does kinda flower initially out of Codemasters,” explains Brown, previously of Playground Video games, the place he labored on numerous Forza Horizon video games and was the inventive director of Forza Horizon 5. “There’s/was a large developer [and] writer simply outdoors Leamington Spa that employed hundreds and a great deal of individuals, and constructed many, many excellent racing video games, after which that simply builds a degree of expertise that then can flower out and begin new studios, and it’s kinda grown out of that.
“It’s uncommon and it’s distinctive. I don’t assume there’s something actually else prefer it wherever in the world, or in the video games trade, the place you may level to 1 factor – on this case, Codemasters – that then simply results in this progress and progress in what is definitely fairly a specialised factor, in racing video games. It’s not simply in video video games, it’s really racing. As a result of there’s even Sumo Leamington, which is barely completely different, however nonetheless in racing. Even these different studios that you simply won’t instantly consider are nonetheless in Leamington doing racing, or racing adjoining work.
“Anyplace else in the world, should you inform individuals you’re a sport designer, they’re like, ‘Bloody hell, that’s attention-grabbing! What’s that like?’ On this city, should you say you’re employed in the video games trade, it’s like, ‘Yeah, clearly.’ It’s as regular as saying you’re a geography trainer.”
Maverick Video games revealed Clutch for the first time earlier this week. Described as a “cinematic open-world action-driving sport,” Clutch will launch in Spring 2027 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Sequence X|S, and PC.
Here is the whole lot introduced at Summer time Recreation Fest 2026 should you want a catch up on what else the online game trade has in retailer.
Luke is a Senior Editor on the IGN opinions staff. You possibly can observe him down on Bluesky @mrlukereilly to ask him issues about stuff.