Brotaku

Mike Brown, creative director of the Forza Horizon franchise at Playground Games, has announced that he has left the studio to start his own independent studio. Brown’s new studio, Maverick Games, is based in Warwickshire, England and includes several ex-Playground Games employees. The first project at the studio will be a “premium open-world game for consoles and PC”. Brown has also confirmed that the studio has secured “significant” funding but did not specify where from.

Here’s what Brown had to say:

Our goal is for Maverick Games to be a studio people will love. For players, we’re already at work on an exciting ultra-high quality title, and for developers, we’re building a home where everyone is encouraged to take risks, be curious, be creative, be innovative, be themselves, and above all—be a Maverick.

Here are the confirmed members:

• Mike Brown – Creative director of Forza Horizon
• Tom Butcher – Executive Producer of Forza Horizon
• Fraser Strachan – Audio Director of Forza Horizon
• Ben Penrose – Art Director of Forza Horizon
• Matt Craven – Chief Technology Officer at Playground Games
• Gareth Harwood – Content Director at Playground Games
• Harinder Sangha – Chief Operating Officer at Sumo Digital
• Elly Marshall – User Experience / User Interface Director at Electronic Arts