Ex-Forza Horizon Devs Poised to Reveal New PS5 Racer Prior to Sony’s State of Play

While we all wait patiently for Forza Horizon 6 on the PS5, we may have another racer to look forward to.

A studio comprised of ex-Playground devs, Maverick Games, has posted a countdown on its official YouTube page, ticking down to 2nd June.

The timer is set to expire at 6AM EDT / 11AM BST that morning, approximately 12 hours before Sony’s own State of Play. Is that a coincidence? We’ll find out.

Unsurprisingly given its background, Maverick Games is working on an open world racing game. It was founded by Mike Brown, a director on Forza Horizon 5, among others.

The studio has a number of other high ranking ex-Forza creatives on its roster, so expectations are high here.

However, while the studio was initially funded by Amazon, the retailer’s decision to step aside from many of its game projects means it was forced to go independent. I’m curious if it’s going to have the budget to compete with Forza Horizon here.

One interesting wrinkle is that the dev has hired Skins scribe Jamie Brittain to pen the racer’s script, and it’s been described as having “narrative” elements in the past.

In that sense, it sounds ambitious, because it’s rare we get a racer with a genuinely engaging story, isn’t it?

To be honest, I think the State of Play connection here is a coincidence, but I wouldn’t be massively surprised if Sony had decided to partner with the game.

After all, the PS5 may be a home for the Forza Horizon games now, but outside of Gran Turismo 7 it doesn’t really have a racer to call its own.

Given how well Forza Horizon 5 sold on Sony’s console, I suppose it’s possible the manufacturer may have signed a marketing partnership with this game.

All will be revealed next week, either way.