Electronic Arts recently stated that it will aim to release a new racing game every year following the planned acquisition of Codemasters. The latter, in fact, currently has numerous racing game franchises under its belt, including F1, WRC, Dirt, Grid and Project Cars.
Electronic Arts itself then owns, to date, the rights to Need for Speed, Burnout and Real Racing. From their collaboration, therefore, a mechanism could arise that would see the release of a different racing game per year, exploiting the different brands that the two software houses have.
Explaining to investors why it was interested in Codemasters, Electronic Arts said the studio would help them become the “global leader in racing entertainment,” with the ability to leverage diverse teams, new technologies and several IPs of the British developer.
Codemasters’ games were a “natural fit” with “clear opportunities” for EA Sports’ policy and goals, the software house added, and this acquisition could lead to the birth of new titles never seen before.
Existing Codemasters franchises will reach a new and wider audience, and will see their development accelerated with skills and technologies shared with Electronic Arts studios.
In November 2020, the publisher of Grand Theft Auto, Take-Two, agreed on a price of almost $1 billion to grab the giant Codemasters. The following month, EA raised the offer to offer $1.2 billion, which was accepted by the board of directors of Codemasters.
EA’s offering is entirely in cash, valued at $6.04 per common share. Take-Two confirmed last month that it will not seek to compete with EA, paving the way for the purchase to be finalized. For all racing game enthusiasts, therefore, a very rich future is expected.
