Small Teams, Serious Results: What we learned building MAVRIX

How modern AAA games are actually made

Much of the industry conversation right now is focused on titles such as Clair Obscur and Windrose. Their success has prompted interest and scrutiny of team sizes, budgets, and what “AAA quality” really looks like now.

While the exact numbers around the core dev teams behind these projects are often debated, what’s clear is that both were driven by relatively small, highly focused core teams. These core teams were supported by specialist partners who allowed those teams to stay concentrated on the work that mattered most.

We’ve found that this isn’t an outlier. In fact, it’s a reflection on how modern AAA development increasingly works.

At TKG, this model isn’t new to us. We’ve spent years operating in co-development and leading full-development projects that apply the same principles.

The reality is that co-development partners and outsourcing aren’t just for large-scale, AAA budget titles. Used deliberately, they allow hyper-focused ‘strike teams’ to scale expertise at specific moments, to enhance smaller core teams and creative vision.

As part of Virtuos, TKG operates within a ‘glocal’ model: global scale combined with local ownership, providing our partners with the ability to flex up and down with the needs of the project or feature, while keeping decision-making close to the game.

To put it simply, this approach is all about the right work, the right people, at the right time.

Models like this rely on staying focused – from initial concept through to delivery – and making clear, deliberate choices about where ambitions matter most.

From day one, MAVRIX had huge ambitions. The creative intent and expectations were driven by the passion and the determination of our client, Cascade. Having a professional athlete at the centre of game development is industry-leading, but we knew we had to do Matt Jones, and mountain biking, justice.

So, as development partners, our challenge was the discipline to build MAVRIX intentionally, without letting scope or process run away from us.

Under the hood of MAVRIX

Development began in summer 2024, launching into Early Access on PC in July 2025. Since then, MAVRIX has been gaining serious momentum. We launched the console port while continuing to work towards full launch in summer 2026.

Over two years, our core team fluctuated between 15-25 devs. There was no room for huge, clunky production cycles. No runaway feature scope.

Getting MAVRIX into the hands of players early was always central to the plan. Early Access allowed our community to play an instrumental role in shaping development, creating a feedback loop that strengthened the development cycle.

Sitting at over 80%+ positive reviews across release platforms, MAVRIX has been embraced by both mountain biking fans and action-sport players alike. Though still early days, this is strong indication that this model is working.

Structure over scale: a core expert team

Throughout development, we have had a core team with clear ownership of features and systems.

Our focus has always been on an authentic player experience – crucial when partnering so closely with a hugely passionate professional athlete of the sport – while never compromising on quality, stability or delivery.

Our team’s prior experience on high‑end racing titles, including Forza, gave us a clear understanding of what would (and wouldn’t) deliver the experience we wanted players to have and what we’d be able to build within our timeline.

At key moments, we have been able to lean into our wider Virtuos network, drawing on our sister studios for global playtesting in the lead up to Early Access launch. This supported quality and feedback at scale, without adding any strain to our core team.

Along with our partners at Cascade, we truly believe we have built something new here that demonstrates what’s possible with a small, focused team.

Experience in a changing industry

The gaming industry is undergoing serious change right now, that much is clear. We are seeing a huge shift in AAA development – large teams, long timelines and escalating budgets are becoming difficult to sustain. Publishers and partners are looking for more predictable, lower-risk development cycles.

In this current climate, focusing on shorter timelines and smaller, highly experienced teams offers clear results and flexibility without sacrificing ambition.

At TKG, we are in a unique position to be able to do exactly that. We can seamlessly scale up with access to global expertise, or scale down as project requirement demands.

Teams like ours are now at the forefront of an evolving industry landscape, offering a middle ground of AAA ambition with modern production realities and sustainable development paths.

We have been incredibly honoured and proud to deliver MAVRIX, one of our most ambitious full-development projects to date, and can’t wait to share more as the game continues to evolve.

Some of the core MAVRIX dev team, along with Cascade and other members of Third Kind Games having a team lunch together in the lead up to console launch