Codemasters now officially part of EA after completing $1.2 billion deal

Codemasters is now officially a part of Electronic Arts, putting racing franchises like DIRT and Project CARS right alongside EA's own Need for Speed games.

EA confirmed the deal valued at $1.2 billion went through today, bringing the UK studio under the EA umbrella after the California-based publisher outbid an earlier offer from Rockstar and 2K Games parent company Take-Two. While Codemasters also has some non-racing titles in its catalog, including the Overlord series of dark comedy-fantasy adventures, the focus here is clearly on its racing chops - EA even noted in the past that this deal could allow it to start putting out racing games on a yearly basis.

"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," EA CEO Andrew Wilson said in a press release. "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."

Codemasters CEO Frank Sagnier added that this deal will help the companies "redefine the landscape of racing games to create even more compelling experiences". Codemasters was founded in Banbury, England in 1986 by Richard and David Darling, a pair of game-making brothers who sold off the last of their stock in the company back in 2007.

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