British racing studio Codemasters has announced that its partnership with the World Rally Championship (WRC) has come to an end, with development plans for future rally video games officially paused for the time being.
Codemasters has been pumping out rally titles since 1998’s Colin McRae Rally, and has been responsible for a number of successful franchises including Formula One, DiRT, TOCA, and GRID. However, with today’s announcement, future rally titles from the company have been put on hold, leaving its future up in the air in this respect.
Every great journey eventually finds its finish line, and today, we announce that we’ve reached the end of the road working on WRC,” Codemasters said on Wednesday. After releasing EA SPORTS WRC in 2023, the 2024 season, including the recently released Hard Chargers Content pack, will be our last expansion.
For now, we are pausing development plans on future rally titles. Rest assured, EA SPORTS WRC will continue to be available for existing and new players. We hope it remains a source of joy, excitement, and the thrill of rally racing. We’ve poured our hearts into making it for fans, and we know you’ll keep the passion alive.
Our WRC partnership was a culmination of sorts for our Codemasters journey with off-road racing, spanning decades through titles like Colin McRae Rally, and DiRT. We’ve provided a home for every rally enthusiast, striving tirelessly to push the boundaries and deliver the exhilarating thrill of driving on the ragged edge.
Codemasters was acquired by EA in February 2021 after previously being approached by Take-Two for a possible acquisition, and in May 2022 EA merged the developer’s Cheshire subsidiary into Criterion Games to support development of the Need for Speed franchise.
[Source – Codemasters via Eurogamer]