EA acquires Codemasters
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EA completes its $1.2b acquisition of racing specialist Codemasters

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After several months of wrangling, EA’s acquisition of Codemasters has crossed the finish line.

EA has completed its acquisition of British developer Codemasters, which will see series such as Dirt, Project Cars, Grid and the licensed Formula 1 accompany the Need for Speed franchise in the EA family of racing games.

The acquisition comes after months of negotiations, where Take-Two – parent company of Rockstar Games and 2K Sports – were the frontrunners for acquiring Codemasters. However, after stepping in with an offer exceeding $1.2 billion US, EA snatched the deal, resulting in Take-Two dropping out of negotiations.

This deal sets EA ahead of the curve in video games racing entertainment, with some of the largest franchises under the same roof. Their only true competition now lies in the Forza and Gran Turismo series. The company released a statement on this news this morning:

“We’re thrilled by this new opportunity to bring you even more racing games, more often… With the greatest minds in racing entertainment all under one roof, you’re going to see even more innovation and we’re going to bring all new ideas to life.”

It is difficult to see exactly how this acquisition will impact games such as Dirt or the F1 franchise at this time, but EA will certainly be looking to profit from their $1.2 billion investment.

In its most recent earnings report – which was published amid its acquisition process – EA highlighted its desire to release new racing entries yearly, akin to how its sports franchises (like FIFA) are managed. Racing fans can perhaps expect that this acquisition will see a steady rotational release pattern of franchises such as Grid, Dirt, and Project Cars.


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