Electronic Arts (EA) has purchased Codemasters, officially bringing the racing game developer under the publisher’s banner. Those who remember EA’s history of interfering with studios need not worry; Codemasters itself voted for the change and appears to be safe from the publisher’s meddling habits.
Codemasters is a development studio known best for its simulation and arcade-style racing games like the Dirt and Formula 1 series. The company went up for sale in 2020, and a bidding war for the studio started between Take-Two Interactive and EA. California-based EA outbid Take-Two, securing the $1.2 billion deal for Codemasters.
In December 2020, the acquisition announcement was met with skepticism and worry from the fans of the developer. Electronic Arts has a storied past of purchasing a development studio then finding an excuse to shut it down, reshuffling the studio’s talent into EA’s other projects. Codemasters seems less likely to fall to the "EA curse," however, as the studio will be considered an “independent group for the foreseeable future” at the publisher. This implies that Codemasters will have more developer freedom to make decisions about its games, with little-to-no publisher input.
In a press release, EA’s executive vice president of strategic growth Matt Bilbey expressed EA’s admiration for the racing developer and excitement at the possibilities of the future. This includes a hinted-at goal of returning Codemaster’s popular Formula 1 series under the EA Sports umbrella. This new partnership with Codemasters presents EA with a chance to break back into the racing scene through its most profitable subsidiary. EA Sports held the Formula 1 license until 2003, when publishing was taken over by Sony.
Codemasters took over the Formula 1 license in 2008 and has been releasing racing games to critical acclaim since. While not a household name, Codemasters has carved a niche for itself in the industry that stands along Microsoft’s Forza and Sony’s Gran Turismo as some of the more recognizable racing games available. The latest title from Codemasters is Dirt 5, which drew media attention for being one of the first games to announce 120 fps support for the next-generation consoles.
Codemasters joins other development studios such as Respawn, DICE, Criterion, and Bioware under the EA banner. Racing fans can expect to continue receiving Formula 1 games on a yearly basis, especially if the franchise returns to its EA Sports roots. The purchase should prove to be an interesting turn in Codemaster’s journey, and fortunately the checkered flag remains out of sight for now.
Source: IGN