Once EA managed to successfully acquire developer Codemasters last year, we knew we’d be in for a bit of a racing game bonanza. Codemasters is known for its consistent work in the genre, and now the studio is a part of EA, the publisher has a pretty robust lineup of racing games in the pipeline.
Some of these we already knew about, like the WRC series and the continuation of the F1 games, but a new exputer report details a whopping six racing games currently being developed at EA. Not all of these are being worked on by Codemasters, but their contributions are certainly bolstering this lineup.
Project Cars
First up, Project Cars 4. This one is born from an acquisition within an acquisition, as Codemasters picked up Slightly Mad Studios before being bought by EA themselves. Either way, the series will now be under the EA banner, and it’s supposedly returning to its hardcore sim roots as a next-gen only game. The report says not to expect this one until around 2024 though.
World Rally Championship
Another born from a deal before a deal, is the WRC series. Back in 2020, Codemasters secured the rights to develop the rally franchise from 2023 onwards. As KT Racing has done in recent years, Codemasters is reportedly planning on this being annualised, so we could see a game each year from 2023 through 2027.
The report also says that the developer is switching to Unreal Engine with this one, and that a separate mobile game is also being looked at. If you’re a rally fan it looks like you’ll be covered for the next few years then.
F1 Series
F1 is another annualised series, and Codemasters is still at the helm even after the EA deal. F1 2022 has already been announced to launch this summer, but it’s the following game that sounds real interesting. F1 2023 is reportedly a proper next-gen experience, and could even add a more in-depth lifestyle mode called ‘F1 WORLD’. Sounds interesting!
Need for Speed
Lastly, two Need for Speed titles are reportedly in the works. The one we know about — being worked on by Criterion and Codemasters Cheshire — is set to launch later this year after the series has had a bit of a hiatus since Need for Speed Heat. Secondly, a mobile title is also said to be in the works, using Heat as a starting point for its multiplayer-focused open world.
There’s a lot to go at here, and it looks like racing fans have a bunch of upcoming titles to look forward to. However, there’s some disappointing news in this report. It’s sounding like GRID and Burnout have been put on ice, as neither series is currently being worked on at publisher EA, it’s claimed in the report.
What do you make of all this racing goodness? Anything in particular excite you? Let us know below!
[source exputer.com]
