Ex-Forza devs reveal Clutch, a gorgeous new racer with customisable cockpit clutter

So that’s what the mysterious social teasers were all about: UK games studio Maverick Games has just revealed Clutch, a sumptuous and ambitious racing game that goes hard on the customisation options and features a story about two siblings competing in one racing league while moonlighting in another.

If you like BMW 850 CSIs and open roads, you should watch this trailer. Built in a highly modified Unreal Engine 5, Clutch looks like it could combine the best bits of Need For Speed’s narrative-based arcade racing and Forza Horizon’s peerless presentation and driving experience. It is, after all, developed by a studio founded by Forza Horizon 5 game director Mike Brown, so this lot know how to make a great game.

There are no festival wristbands in sight this time, though. Clutch tells the story of a brother and sister who compete in the R1K racing series, a glamorous competition where fresh talents are established. Then, by night, they also race in The Midnight Collective, a slightly less above-board street racing series. Hmm – wonder if that might cause them some problems and lead to moments of dramatic impact at all?

Among a host of handsome machinery on show in the trailer, most notable was the sheer variety. Classics evidently have their place here, including vintage Porsches and BMWs that Brown promises will show authentic wear and tear – quite a different approach than the factory-pristine vintage cars that magically appear in other games.

The level of customisation really stands out here, too. Yes, you’ve got your body kits and and enough underfloor neons to impress a supermarket car park’s worth of petrolheads, but it goes a lot deeper than we’ve seen before in games. The hoody on your back seat. The drink in your cup holder. The toy dangling from your rearview mirror.

It’s a little detail really, but it’s a totem that perhaps Maverick Games wants to do things differently. Well, that and the blindingly obvious studio name.

It’s coming in spring 2027 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC. We’ll be bringing you more details on this one in the near future.