Video game giant Electronic Arts has recently announced that it will be acquiring Codemasters to the tune of $1.2 billion. This massive acquisition will further cement Electronic Arts as the premiere game company when it comes to sports/racing titles, as Codemasters has an extensive library of critically-acclaimed racing game franchises that will now fall under the EA umbrella.
While EA's acquisition of Codemasters is clearly going to be beneficial to EA itself, it will also be beneficial to others in the industry. Namely, EA's acquisition of Codemasters is actually going to be a very good thing for Xbox Game Pass and those who are subscribed to the service.
Here's why EA's acquisition of Codemasters is going to be good for Xbox Game Pass.
EA Play and Xbox Game Pass
Since introducing its Xbox Game Pass subscription service, Microsoft has made a concerted effort to enhance its value. Besides adding new games to the service regularly, Microsoft has also made some huge deals with other companies that also go a long way in boosting Game Pass, making the service that much more appealing to potential subscribers. Recently, this included a deal that saw EA Play merge with Game Pass on Xbox platforms.
Now with an Xbox Game Pass subscription, subscribers can not only access all of the Xbox Game Pass games, but all of the titles that are a part of EA Play as well. This gives Xbox Game Pass subscribers access to some of the generation's most popular sports games, plus plenty of other titles from EA's past. And thanks to the Xbox One backward compatibility program, this even extends to some of EA's Xbox 360 and original Xbox games.
Notably, this deal includes blockbuster hits like the Mass Effect and Dragon Age game, on top of the Battlefield titles, EA's Star Wars games, and much more. Xbox Game Pass subscribers are also able to take advantage of some of EA Play's additional benefits, which includes early access to trials to many of the company's games, plus exclusive discounts and other perks.
With EA Play tied to Xbox Game Pass, any big moves EA makes also benefit Game Pass. This includes whenever EA announces a big new game release, as that means eventually that big new game will be added to the Xbox Game Pass lineup. This also includes any studio acquisition EA may make, with EA's acquisition of Codemasters, expected to be finalized in early 2021, set to be huge for Game Pass subscribers.
Codemasters Games
EA's acquisition of Codemasters brings many of the top racing game franchises all under one umbrella. This includes the Dirt games, the recent F1 games, Project CARS, and more. EA hasn't said yet if these Codemasters games will be coming to EA Play, but it's hard to imagine a scenario where they wouldn't. After all, this way EA can boost the value of its own subscription service, potentially drawing in new subscribers or keeping people from letting their subscriptions lapse.
And if EA brings the Codemasters franchises it will be acquiring to EA Play, then that means they will also be available on Xbox Game Pass. Essentially, this means that EA's acquisition of Codemasters is going to result in yet another big boost for the Xbox Game Pass lineup, ensuring that the subscription service will have an even wider variety of games available in its already massive library.
And while Codemasters has primarily worked on racing games, it's possible that the cult classic Overlord games could also be making their way to EA Play and Xbox Game Pass as a result of the acquisition. The original Overlord and its sequel, Overlord 2, are considered some of the Xbox 360's most criminally overlooked games, and seeing them added to the Xbox Game Pass/EA Play lineup could give them a much-needed new lease on life.
Xbox Game Pass Will Be Huge in 2021
Assuming EA's acquisition of Codemasters goes through in early 2021 as planned, that means it could potentially add Codemasters' games to EA Play, and therefore Xbox Game Pass, sooner rather than later. This will be a big, unexpected boost for Xbox Game Pass content in 2021, with next year already looking like it will be one of the best years for Microsoft's ambitious service to date.
Not only with Xbox Game Pass continue to have major third-party games available on it in 2021, but the service will also be adding most of Bethesda's catalogue, plus there will be plenty of console-exclusive Xbox games to choose from as well. Things will get started with Bloober Team's The Medium in January, and then later in 2021, fans can look forward to the highly-anticipated launch of Halo Infinite as well.
Xbox Game Pass will be expanding its other services in 2021, too. For example, the xCloud streaming service will be coming to more devices in 2021, making it much more accessible and putting it in even more direct competition with similar services, like Google Stadia.
So far, it looks like Microsoft's huge gamble on Xbox Game Pass is paying off in big ways, and it will be interesting to see how the service continues to expand and grow moving forward.