The game was the talk of E3 2018, but the ambition proved too heavy for its foundation. In late 2019, Automaton Games faced "insufficient funding." The project was shuttered mid-development, leaving behind only cinematic trailers and a handful of tech demos.

In 2018, while the world was obsessed with Fortnite and PUBG , a small UK studio called Automaton Games made a claim that sounded like science fiction: a battle royale with on a single, massive 12km x 12km map.

The project was powered by "SpatialOS," a cloud-based technology designed to handle massive amounts of data and player interactions that traditional servers couldn't touch. Mavericks wasn't just about player count; it promised a living world with persistent wildlife, destructible environments, and tracking systems where players could follow literal footprints in the mud.

Any site claiming to offer a "free full version" of Mavericks: Proving Grounds is likely a scam or contains malware, as the game servers required for play were never completed and do not exist.