Picture this: you’re a kid, sunlight pouring through the window, gripping a controller, racing through dirt roads at 150 km/h. For many of us, our first encounter with Codemasters wasn’t just a game. It was an experience. A passion, digitized.
But today, that engine’s roar has gone silent.
And no—this wasn’t in anyone’s plans. Or maybe it was… if you’re Electronic Arts.
In 2021, EA acquired Codemasters. At the time, it sounded like a dream team. “The Home of Racing Games,” they called it. A home. But if there’s one thing EA has shown us over the years, it’s that their idea of a “home” often becomes a graveyard for beloved studios.
Just a couple of weeks ago, the blow came: Codemasters lost the WRC license. Barely 18 months into their first game release. No roadmap. No continuation. And just like that, their social media presence vanished. No clear statement. Just silence. EA did what it does best—“restructure,” cut jobs, shut down projects.
Sound familiar? Maxis. Visceral. Criterion. Black Box. Big names. Big memories. All gone.
When I look at Codemasters today, I see a shadow of its former self. Between 2011 and 2015, they were unstoppable, releasing racing titles with heart and identity. Now? One game a year. F1. And we don’t even know how long that will last.
But the saddest part isn’t the lost license. It’s how predictable all this has become. We know the script: EA acquires. EA integrates. EA slashes. And if profits don’t follow—EA erases.
As a gamer, as someone who grew up dreaming of impossible corners and split-second victories, this hurts. But as an observer, I wonder: maybe the problem isn’t Codemasters. Maybe it isn’t even EA. Maybe the problem is us—forgetting that games are made with passion, not just pipelines.
I hope I’m wrong. I hope F1 25 isn’t their swan song. But if it is, let it be one final, beautiful lap around the track. Because when a legend fades out, it deserves to go out at full throttle.
See you on the track!
This website uses affiliate links which may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.
EA has killed my favorite game series. They are everything that is wrong with today’s gaming.
WRC was the reason I bought this generation hardware. And now, as this generation comes to a close, I see there are maybe a half dozen games that made it to my collection, the lowest number of games for a console.
I won’t be buying the next generation hardware.