Xbox Loss Maverick Games Gain

Leading Forza Horizon developers including Horizon 5’s creative director are Mike Brown are leaving Playground Games and Xbox to start a new game development studio – Maverick Games.

Mike Brown will lead the new studio and is joined by five former Playground employees which are Playground’s lead producer Tom Butcher, technical director Matt Craven, technical art director Gareth Harwood, audio director Fraser Stachan, and art director Ben Penrose.

The development team is at work on a premium open world game for consoles and PC and they have already secured significant seed funding.

For players, they are already at work with an exciting ultra-high quality title, and for developers, they are building a home where everyone is encouraged to take risks, be curious, be creative, be innovative, be themselves, and above all – be a Maverick.