EA Completes Codemasters Takeover Worth $1.2 Billion
- Thread starter GTPNewsWire
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With Codies' F1 games and soon-to-be-made WRC games, EA trying to buy them for 1 billion doesn't surprise me. EA of all publishers know how lucrative those annual sport games are.
That being said, outlook isn't great for other IPs like Dirt/Grid/Project CARS. Dirt Rally might still get made considering its popularity, but I think other threes might not survive EA acquisition (if they aren't already dead in the water that is).
That being said, outlook isn't great for other IPs like Dirt/Grid/Project CARS. Dirt Rally might still get made considering its popularity, but I think other threes might not survive EA acquisition (if they aren't already dead in the water that is).
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Hard to believe codemasters is worth that much honestly. Dirt 5 is a weak installment and doesn't look next gen, Dirt Rally 2 saw a step down from the bespoke tracks in the 1.0, GRID is forgettable, and F1 is the most sterile and stale racing game out. Not to mention the absolute flop that Project Cars 3 is. Every IP they have is worse this time around somehow. EA will water down the games further until they are as half assed as Need For Speed is now a days.
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- And-War
gutted totally Gutted, EA and Take-two are prob as bad as each other, I just hope we still get Dirt Rally 3.
- 11
- Texas
Can't wait to see F1 Ultimate Car, or FUC come out.
I can see EA trying doing a lot with F1 eSports as well.
I can see EA trying doing a lot with F1 eSports as well.
- 15,383
- TRAPPIST-1g
- ProjectWHaT
EA basically has a monopoly on sports licenses then.
FIFA, NFL, NHL, UFC, NBA.
They can now add motorsports to that list including F1, World RX, and WRC. I wonder how the price of the acquisition is compared to that F1 license. Probably would be worth it in the end for them
FIFA, NFL, NHL, UFC, NBA.
They can now add motorsports to that list including F1, World RX, and WRC. I wonder how the price of the acquisition is compared to that F1 license. Probably would be worth it in the end for them
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They also had the NASCAR license for a while. But after NASCAR 09 I think they lost it.
McLaren
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Surprisingly (or not I guess), it's actually the other company after Codemasters that has gained control over the NBA. I mean, EA has a license for it, but they haven't put together a good NBA game in a decade allowing 2K to just dominate basketball gaming.
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Reading an article in the financial times, they confirmed what was already pretty obvious. That EA's offer is well into the realm of over paying. Code Masters valuation is generally low because the racing game business model doesn't lend itself well to popular mechanics like loot boxes, etc etc
- 2,908
- Columbus, Ohio
Loot boxes are mostly abandoned though, everyone's moved onto the season pass model that forces players to either grind relentlessly or shell out extra to get the content before they're time-locked out of it. That's very much suitable for racing games as the F1 series already does it, and since you see beforehand what's available it's considered more "acceptable" as there's no element of chance. Never mind that all the desirable stuff is at the very far end of the level treadmill, and getting to it without a buyout usually requires a several hour a day time investment.
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Tired Tyres
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Come on, you know how it works. They will dictate what the developer does with the game, which will not be what the players want - and probably the developer doesn't want either and when it flops, they close the developer down, while maintaining ownership of the game IP which they will farm out to another developer they've just bought.
It will be interesting what they'll have to say to Ian Bell though. Not that I think he gives a hoot anyway.
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- 2,908
- Columbus, Ohio
I would presume that most of the people that spearheaded the attempt to raid SMS' talent pool the first time have long since departed from EA. Middle management in tech-related companies tend to have a notoriously high turnover rate. I'd be kinda surprised if anyone in the offices there even knew who he is, let alone how his studio was connected to them over a decade ago.
- 219
- Sydney
Project Cars died when the one with a Number 3 on the box was released....
- 6,114
- Texas
Would that make PC4 a zombie then?
If there's any sign that things might be different, BioWare still exist and is making another Mass Effect. There's also the fact that Codemasters has published some less than stellar games themselves, so maybe someone in upper management can run interference if EA tries to undercut them.
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- pj-gm
- PJwasHere876
I don't even know what to say, mostly because the outcome is not predictable. I don't expect EA to fill the F1 games and others with microtransactions and lootbox mechanics the way they have for their other titles, because it doesn't really carry over that well to racing games. We aren't gonna get a F1 UT.
The thing that concerns me most is the possibility of EA trying to make their games more palatable to casuals by making the games lean more on being arcade and less on whatever aspects of sim/realism they portray well. All this while following the blueprint they have for other sports games where there is very little beyond roster updates every year and a slow drip of updates and added features long term.
One thing in our favour as fans is that racing games generally still seem to more heavily lean on the single player aspect to this day, compared to other genres, so perhaps this is less of a concern, as developers have to continue to enhance that experience in meaningful ways, or else no one will buy. Introducing MyTeam to F1 2020 seems to have reinvigorated the franchise, and definitely presented an opportunity to earn more revenue off cosmetic items, which I'm sure Codemasters had in mind the whole time.
This all to say that when microtransactions inevitable make their return, hopefully, they continue to compliment meaningful enhancements to the experience instead of replacing them.
The thing that concerns me most is the possibility of EA trying to make their games more palatable to casuals by making the games lean more on being arcade and less on whatever aspects of sim/realism they portray well. All this while following the blueprint they have for other sports games where there is very little beyond roster updates every year and a slow drip of updates and added features long term.
One thing in our favour as fans is that racing games generally still seem to more heavily lean on the single player aspect to this day, compared to other genres, so perhaps this is less of a concern, as developers have to continue to enhance that experience in meaningful ways, or else no one will buy. Introducing MyTeam to F1 2020 seems to have reinvigorated the franchise, and definitely presented an opportunity to earn more revenue off cosmetic items, which I'm sure Codemasters had in mind the whole time.
This all to say that when microtransactions inevitable make their return, hopefully, they continue to compliment meaningful enhancements to the experience instead of replacing them.
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- Maine/usa
- ron24
Not defending EA but that's what Codemasters did to Evolution when Onrush tanked. Evolution Studios, the Cheshire-based outfit was acquired ... with senior staff and lead creatives fired. This isn't the Codemasters from the past. They sold 50% I believe in 2010 When most of Dirt 2 team left and went to Forza horizon.
killerjimbag
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"Yes, I would like to make an offer to buy your company... oh, that beeping noise? That's just my dump truck full of money backing up to the front door."
GTPNewsWire
Contributing Writer
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This is the discussion thread for a recent post on GTPlanet:
This article was published by Andrew Evans (@Famine) on February 18th, 2021 in the Gaming category.
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Normally I don't get to edit ANYONE else's other pics like memes, lists and such, but since this has finally happen, I knew I had to add Codies to this known list found on the internet of previously fallen gaming companies all executed by EA themselves...
edited by Staff: Mild Language warning
edited by Staff: Mild Language warning
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- 35,180
- Addison,Texas
- GTP_RACECAR
Ahem:
https://www.ign.com/articles/codemasters-to-remain-as-independent-group-after-ea-acquisition
Hey doomers, breath (and read) abit. Wouldn't kill you to do either.
https://www.ign.com/articles/codemasters-to-remain-as-independent-group-after-ea-acquisition
Hey doomers, breath (and read) abit. Wouldn't kill you to do either.
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I give it 2-3 years before Codies gets thrown to the slaughterhouse
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- Columbus, Ohio
If the next NFS game doesn't do well, they'll likely just shuffle the top 20% of Codemasters' programmers into whatever studio's making the series now and leave the rest of the company to slowly crumble away.
Though I guess that's at least a better fate than being abruptly shoved out the door and having your game's source handed over to an incompetent in-house group, like 2K tried and failed to do with the WWE series.
Though I guess that's at least a better fate than being abruptly shoved out the door and having your game's source handed over to an incompetent in-house group, like 2K tried and failed to do with the WWE series.
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