The EA Codemasters acquisition was first approved by shareholders earlier in February. Codemasters was initially in talks with Take-Two for a possible purchase. However, Take-Two bowed out of the bidding wars after EA outbid them for the hefty sum of approximately US$1.2 billion.
What Does the EA Codemasters Acquisition Mean?
Bringing Codemasters into the fold suggests that EA is planning on investing big money in racing franchises in the next couple of years. Prior to the acquisition, EA had exclusive publishing rights to the Need for Speed and Burnout franchises. However, with the Codemasters acquisition, EA now has three more racing franchises to work with. Namely, these are, F1, Dirt, and Project Cars, with Slightly Mad also included as part of the acquisition. In addition to racing titles, it’ll be interesting to see if the acquisition also means that EA is planning on reviving Operation Flashpoint. Operation Flashpoint is a series of military-simulation titles that Codemasters had worked on previously and served as the precursor to the Arma mil-sim titles by Bohemian Interactive Studio. With the Battlefield franchise not exactly in good shape, it might be in EA’s interests to try and double up. Not to mention, there seems to be a growing interest in mil-sims, with controversial title Six Days in Fallujah, expected to finally release in 2021 after nearly a decade.
