Codemasters, the British video games company known for its wide range of racing titles, is now a part of Electronic Arts. The acquisition has been in the works for some time now, and today, EA officially confirmed the move on a blog post that welcomed the racing giant into the fold.
The acquisition has been an interesting journey to keep an eye on. Take-Two Interactive was originally in talks to purchase Codemasters with a deal that involved almost a billion dollars. However, EA threw a wrench into the takeover talks by making a "knockout bid" worth $1.2 billion, which Codemasters went on to accept in December.
"This is the beginning of an exciting new era for racing games and content as we bring together the talented teams at Electronic Arts and Codemasters," said Electronic Arts CEO Andrew Wilson in a statement. "Racing fandom continues to grow worldwide, and the franchises in our combined portfolio will enable us to create innovative new experiences and bring more players into the excitement of cars and motorsport. Our teams will be a global powerhouse in racing entertainment, with amazing games for players on every platform, and we can’t wait to get started."
We"re excited to welcome @Codemasters to the EA family! 🚗💨 pic.twitter.com/y3yYB94vmF
— Electronic Arts (@EA) February 18, 2021
EA"s racing portfolio already includes popular franchises like Need for Speed and Burnout. Now with Codemasters on its side, that list is increasing to include Dirt, GRID, Formula 1, and Project CARS, among other series that expand the publisher"s scope beyond just arcade racers while also enabling it to have multiple racing game launches a year.