https://news.ea.com/press-releases/...f-Codemasters-Group-Holdings-PLC/default.aspx
It says it is a done deal?
It says it is a done deal?
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EA Completes Codemasters Takeover Worth $1.2 Billion
- Thread starter GTPNewsWire
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Looks like it. Pretty quickly too.
I know the Doomageddon brigade is about to lose their minds but fact of the matter is it's done. Might as well suck it up and move on, its literally not the worst thing in the world right now.
I know the Doomageddon brigade is about to lose their minds but fact of the matter is it's done. Might as well suck it up and move on, its literally not the worst thing in the world right now.
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MagpieRacer
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The comments and negativity around it is both hilarious and infuriating.
People suddenly think F1 games are gonna run on frostbite and Codemastwrs are just gonna be dissolved into EA. Delusional. Get your heads out of the clouds. Codemasters are large and experienced, hence being valued where they are. I would be surprised, nay, amazed, if anything REALLY changed in terms of the current running of Codemasters. Their F1 games are hot property and massive sellers, Dirt is an established long running and high selling franchise, the WRC license is impending. They have some of the most experienced and respected racing game developers in the world. EA don't really care too much about getting involved in development of Codemasters IPs. They just want to reap in the benefits of the money making franchises Codemasters currently smash out.
The curious thing is where it leaves SMS, namely the senior members who had the massive falling out with EA post Shift 2 and the licensing fallout around the madness engine which is now technically back under EA ownership.
People suddenly think F1 games are gonna run on frostbite and Codemastwrs are just gonna be dissolved into EA. Delusional. Get your heads out of the clouds. Codemasters are large and experienced, hence being valued where they are. I would be surprised, nay, amazed, if anything REALLY changed in terms of the current running of Codemasters. Their F1 games are hot property and massive sellers, Dirt is an established long running and high selling franchise, the WRC license is impending. They have some of the most experienced and respected racing game developers in the world. EA don't really care too much about getting involved in development of Codemasters IPs. They just want to reap in the benefits of the money making franchises Codemasters currently smash out.
The curious thing is where it leaves SMS, namely the senior members who had the massive falling out with EA post Shift 2 and the licensing fallout around the madness engine which is now technically back under EA ownership.
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- Bloodytears1666
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- GTPlanet
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The comments and negativity around it is both hilarious and infuriating.
People suddenly think F1 games are gonna run on frostbite and Codemastwrs are just gonna be dissolved into EA. Delusional. Get your heads out of the clouds. Codemasters are large and experienced, hence being valued where they are. I would be surprised, nay, amazed, if anything REALLY changed in terms of the current running of Codemasters. Their F1 games are hot property and massive sellers, Dirt is an established long running and high selling franchise, the WRC license is impending. They have some of the most experienced and respected racing game developers in the world. EA don't really care too much about getting involved in development of Codemasters IPs. They just want to reap in the benefits of the money making franchises Codemasters currently smash out.
The curious thing is where it leaves SMS, namely the senior members who had the massive falling out with EA post Shift 2 and the licensing fallout around the madness engine which is now technically back under EA ownership.
EA is infamously known for buying up studios, running them into the ground and shutting them down once they find no more use. Most notably Black Box and Visceral.
Everyone has every right to be weary about the future of Codies, even if they engaged in shady business practices themselves.
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The curious thing is where it leaves SMS, namely the senior members who had the massive falling out with EA post Shift 2 and the licensing fallout around the madness engine which is now technically back under EA ownership.
Short summary for those that didn't follow this back in the day: EA tried to shaft @IanBell, but Ian shafted them in return. I see no way for that relationship to ever work again (but maybe money provides a good bandaid, who knows
). 
MagpieRacer
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Visceral were founded by EA in 1998, under the name EA Redwood, became Visceral, Visceral the shut down 2017. Now granted they kind of ran their own thing and there was a lot of fallout and stuff from it through the creative differences etc. But they didn't buy up Visceral as they built thay studio up themselves.
A lot of those 'closed'studios were redistributed to other EA studios or moved on under different names. The likelihood of it happening to Codemasters are slim to none. A lot of what went on with many of the closed studios happened because if creative differences, shifting markets etc. Obviously a lot of it could have been handled better, but, if you look at Codemasters IPs and what not, its hard to have creative difference on an F1 game for example, which is a relatively simple formula, or WRC licensing etc. It leaves SMS and project Cars in the air but after the absolute bomb that was PC3, they need something radical there.
My feeling is that with the direction of Codemasters, where they are now, what they have ready lined up for the next 3-8 years (signed new F1 license deal in 2019 until 2025 with 2 year option to extend, WRC license beginning 2023 on a 5 year deal, Dirt Rally 3 in development) and the success of each of those franchises have, and will continue having, going forward makes it very very difficult to see EA doing anything drastic with that. The F1 games are money printers, Dirt Rally is a massive IP, WRC will expand on that even more. Perhaps I'll be wrong and EA will prove everyone right and it'll be an absolute catastrophe. But I personally cannot see that happening with everything Codemasters have and can bring to the table in terms on the value in their franchises.
Just my personal view.
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- barrett5
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Well, EA is certainly the lesser of two evils compared to 2K. EA at least has been trying recently to improve it's image while 2K just continues to get worse. It seems like EA wants to appeal to good nostalgic memories after the surprise mechanics fiasco by remastering classic games, promising something new in the Skate franchise and partnering again with Criterion. Maybe EA's goal here will be rekindling fond memories with the likes of Dirt and Grid as well after their most recent controversial releases.
As for Project CARS, given the colossal failure PC3 is and the rift between Bell and EA, I doubt the series has its best days ahead, I'll put it like that. Maybe a new NFS Shift will come and that could give a slight chance of Project CARS 4(?) going back to a true simulation so that the two series are clearly different.
Sadly microtransactions are going to increase and they are too high already, plus this is bound to divide fanbases. Hopefully EA will do like with NFS Heat and take dying series' a step in the right direction and not like Madden and have the newest game in the series be the lowest user rated game of all time.
As for Project CARS, given the colossal failure PC3 is and the rift between Bell and EA, I doubt the series has its best days ahead, I'll put it like that. Maybe a new NFS Shift will come and that could give a slight chance of Project CARS 4(?) going back to a true simulation so that the two series are clearly different.
Sadly microtransactions are going to increase and they are too high already, plus this is bound to divide fanbases. Hopefully EA will do like with NFS Heat and take dying series' a step in the right direction and not like Madden and have the newest game in the series be the lowest user rated game of all time.
SportCoaster
(Banned)
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Well, Everything's Awful reaps another soul. I really disliked a lot of Codemaster's driving simulators, but come on, they didn't deserve to die THIS harshly.
RIP Codemasters: 1986-2022
RIP Codemasters: 1986-2022
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For those of us who've actually given PC3 a go it's actually a great racing sim. I see no reason the Project Cars franchise wouldn't continue to be one of the top racing sims around.
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I was lucky growing up my best mate always had C64's so we had the best of both worlds...
I was always jealous of the sound, the SID chip to this day is awesome.
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Realistically speaking, PC3 has been review bombed because it is not as much of a motorsport simulator as the previous titles.
It's all about perspective; if anyone plays PC3 expecting it to be a spiritual successor to Need for Speed Shift, there are far more positives than negatives from my experience.
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- Bloodytears1666
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I guess peoples’ perception of Project CARS 3 largely depends on if they played the previous games or not.
I didn’t, but in looking for something to replace Forza Motorsport 7 (which I’ve played to death) I found it to be a fun experience on a wheel, and it has enough content and features to support my small community and weekly lobbies.
The things that are “missing” I can get in other games, like F1 2020 and DiRT Rally 2.0.
Project CARS 3 is not without its flaws but for me at least there’s enough “good” still there to keep me interested for now. I do wish the multiplayer servers were a bit more robust though
I didn’t, but in looking for something to replace Forza Motorsport 7 (which I’ve played to death) I found it to be a fun experience on a wheel, and it has enough content and features to support my small community and weekly lobbies.
The things that are “missing” I can get in other games, like F1 2020 and DiRT Rally 2.0.
Project CARS 3 is not without its flaws but for me at least there’s enough “good” still there to keep me interested for now. I do wish the multiplayer servers were a bit more robust though
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Just when Codemasters F1 series was finally getting good.
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- soltonatural
RIP Codemasters if true
- 35,180
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- GTP_RACECAR
Seems more like your ignoring the facts that have been presented by multiple people now. Once again, PC3 was started and near completion well before Codemasters acquired them. This is baseless scapegoating just based on some text on screen again.
And who exactly is?
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- GranTurismo0517
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So basically, it's going to be more of the same from Codemasters after whatever buyout takes place at best, and at worst the company going bust. I mean, I've heard that EA has a reputation of taking down a lot of the properties they buy within a couple of years, so I see the same thing happening here.
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In other words, EA spends $1.2 billion for the F1 license.
I'd reckon the F1 team continues working with F1, but EA will shoehorn F1 Ultimate team and other mtx into the game.
Dirt I see staying alive for a good while
Project Cars and Grid are dead in the water at this point, I see those teams either shifting to NFS or dispersed throughout EA's other projects.
I'd reckon the F1 team continues working with F1, but EA will shoehorn F1 Ultimate team and other mtx into the game.
Dirt I see staying alive for a good while
Project Cars and Grid are dead in the water at this point, I see those teams either shifting to NFS or dispersed throughout EA's other projects.
MagpieRacer
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They're gonna acquire/spend a $1billion on a racing game powerhouse and close it down.
Puh-lease.
This line of thought will get old fast.
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I never said right away, but their track record shows them doing things like this.
EDIT: Granted, a couple years is a mere exaggeration, but I have for sure seen examples of companies acquired by EA get shut down several years after. I.E. Origin Systems, Westwood, Pandemic Studios, Playfish, and Phenomic.
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