By A remarkable and exciting journey
An announcement on its official website indicates that developments in the rally game sector from Codemasters are slowing.
The EA-owned studio states it has “reached the conclusion of its journey with WRC”, implying its association with the official license has ended.
Additionally, post-launch assistance for EA Sports WRC has been halted.
Following its release in 2023, the game benefited from numerous content updates, offering the 2024 season and the latest Hard Chargers pack to players for free. This last DLC will be termed as the “final expansion”.
Notably, Codemasters will be “pausing future development plans on rally games.” Consequently, no sequel to its work on the officially licensed rally game will emerge for an extended period, if at all.
Nonetheless, EA Sports WRC will remain available — it will “stay accessible for both existing and new players”.
The collaboration with the WRC license marked a “culmination of our Codemasters journey in off-road racing, reflecting decades of classic titles like Colin McRae Rally and DiRT”, the statement concludes, expressing gratitude to supporters.
This announcement follows reports of significant layoffs at EA, although it has not been explicitly mentioned whether this impacted anyone at Codemasters.
However one looks at it, it’s a disappointing narrative. As noted, Codemasters has crafted rally games for many years, quite a few of which are recognized as the finest in the sub-genre, making it regrettable to witness the studio’s halting of its rally specialty.
We can only hope the team will get another chance, even without the WRC license — we will need to wait and see what unfolds.
Are you a fan of Codemasters’ rally games? Were you enjoying EA Sports WRC and desiring more? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
[source ea.com]
Stephen has been a member of the Push Square team for over six years, contributing immense enthusiasm and extensive knowledge of video games to his position as Assistant Editor. Having grown up gaming on every PlayStation console ever released, he holds diverse tastes, with a notable passion for indie games, arcade racers, and puzzles. He also serves as our resident expert for Sonic-related inquiries, much to his delight/chagrin.