For a number of years, UK-based videogame publisher Codemasters has become highly regarded for their influence in their native Europe with only a slim presence in the United States.
This was of course before American Rod Cousens, who worked as CEO for Activision and Acclaim in the 1990s, took the helm as the company’s United States CEO. Since then, Codemasters has upped their revenue percentage from 9% in 2005 to 40% in 2007.
"We’ve geared our product line to the States, and so we’re starting to work closely with U.S. developers," sayd Cousens.
Now the firm has set its sights on continuing its success in the United States to well into 2008, as Codemasters joins together with Spark, Liquid Entertainment, and inXile Entertainment, all California based for their 2008 lineup of great titles. Additionally, they have also signed a distribution agreement with Warner Bros.
With five of their eight titles scheduled to launch in 2008 on the PlayStation 3, Codemasters is looking to continue triumph. The company’s PS3 2008 lineup is as follows:
Turning Point: Fall of Liberty – This is a post WWII FPS that takes place in NYC with fictional storyline that has Nazi Germany invading America. The developer is Spark Unlimited and expected to release in Q1 2008.
Hei$t – A bank robbery/action racing game based in 1969 San Francisco. Developed by inXile Entertainment with an expected April release.
GRID – A typical racing title developed by Codemaster Studios. Expected release is Q2 2008.
Rise of the Argonauts – An RPG title on the story of Jason has he journeys out to find the Golden Fleece. Developed by Liquid Entertainment, Rise of the Argonauts is expected to release Q3 2008
Operation Flashpoint 2: Dragon Rising – A sequel to Bohemia Interactive’s 2005 title, Codemasters looks to capitalize by pushing the envelope and innovation. Currently there is no tentative release date set, other than 2008 if it makes it.
The road does not stop here, however, as Codemasters is also expecting to announce more games within the next 3 months. Furthermore, a DiRT sequel is said to be on the way in 2009.
When asked about the current trend of merging with another company such as EA/Bioware and Activision/Blizzard, Cousens ended with, "My personal approach to it is to be fiercely independent".