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EA Talent and Forza Horizon 5 Create a New AAA Studio

• Jacob Chambers
• January 10th, 2023

A new AAA company with roots in Leamington Spa, England, has been assembled with talent from the companies that developed Forza Horizon 5: Playground Games, EA, and Sumo Digital. Maverick Games is the name of the studio, and it is currently developing “a new, premium open-world game for consoles and PC.” It is probably safe to presume that PS5 will be among the systems the developer releases on.

Mike Brown, a former creative director at Playground Games, started the business and hired Harinder Sangha, a former co-studio head at Sumo Digital Leamington, to serve as COO. Tom Butcher (executive producer), Matt Craven (CTO), Gareth Harwood (content director), Fraser Strachan (audio director), and Ben Penrose are other members of the Playground Games team that have joined (art director). Elly Marshall, formerly of EA, is the UI/UX director for the new developer.

According to a press statement, Maverick Games is “actively working” on its next game and has already acquired “substantial seed funding.” With the studio encouraging a “forward-looking culture” where “skilled individuals are supported, motivated, and empowered to create,” hiring is being done in many industries.

By Mike Brown “We want Maverick Games to be a studio that people adore. As for developers, we’re creating a place where everyone is encouraged to take risks, be curious, be creative, be original, be themselves, and above all – be a Maverick. For players, we’re already hard at work on an exciting ultra-high quality title.”

This is a project that you shouldn’t expect to see or hear from for a lot of years, as development is probably just beginning. However, it seems like an open world game to keep an eye out for in the future.