Codemasters

Codemasters is a developer and publisher.

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Codemasters Software Company Ltd. (commonly known simply as Codemasters) is a British developer and publisher of games for personal computers, consoles, and mobile devices, active in the industry since 1986. Codemasters Software is headquartered in Southam, Warwickshire, UK. However, Codemasters also operates additional studios in Birmingham and Runcorn (UK), as well as teams in Malaysia and India, along with a network of regional offices around the world.

• Codemasters as a game producer
• Codemasters as a game publisher
• Codemasters as a Polish game publisher
• The history of Codemasters

Codemasters as a game producer

From the beginning, Codemasters focused primarily on development activities, creating games for the popular personal computers and 8- and 16-bit consoles of the 1980s and 1990s. The most important titles from this period include numerous sports and racing games, as well as the Dizzy series, Pete Sampras Tennis, and Micro Machines, which became the company's first major brand and a hallmark of Codemasters for many years.

Later, the company shifted its focus to developing games for PCs and successive generations of Microsoft and Sony consoles, occasionally also releasing titles for Nintendo platforms and mobile devices. The company's portfolio includes sports games (such as the LMA Manager and Brian Lara Cricket series), action titles (including Bodycount and the Operation Flashpoint series), and even music software like the Music Generator line. Above all, however, Codemasters became known as a producer of racing games, with its most important titles emerging in the late 1990s: Race Driver / GRID and Colin McRae Rally, the latter continuing today under the DiRT name. Since mid-2012, the company has focused exclusively on this genre, developing its three main franchises: GRID, DiRT, and the F1 series, launched in 2009.

The following studios currently operate under Codemasters:

• Codemasters Southam - the company's main development studio, responsible for key brands like DiRT and GRID,
• Codemasters Birmingham - established in November 2008 from part of Swordfish Studios, primarily responsible for the F1 games,
• Codemasters Evo, based in Runcorn, UK - formed in April 2016 from former Evolution Studios employees,
• Codemasters Pune, based in Pune, India - a supporting studio,
• Codemasters Studios Sdn Bhd, based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - a supporting studio.

Codemasters as a game publisher

Virtually from its inception, with a few exceptions (such as console titles), Codemasters acted as the publisher of its own games. As the company grew and established its market position, the British studio also began publishing games from third-party developers, reaching its peak in the early 2000s. Currently, however, Codemasters has ended collaborations with other developers and is refocusing on publishing its own titles.

Some of the most important games developed by other studios and published worldwide by Codemasters include:

• racing games: Insane, Fuel,
• sports games: World Championship Snooker and Sensible Soccer series,
• action games: Severance: Blade of Darkness, Prisoner of War, IGI 2: Covert Strike, Second Sight, Clive Barker's Jericho, Turning Point: Fall of Liberty, Rise of the Argonauts, Damnation,
• strategy games: Perimeter, Soldiers: Heroes of World War II, Worms 4: Mayhem, Maelstrom, Hospital Tycoon,
• the Overlord series combining RPG, action, and strategy elements,
• and MMO games: The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar.

Codemasters as a Polish game publisher

Despite having no official presence in Poland, Codemasters Software Company Ltd. also made its mark on the local publishing market, acting as a Polish game distributor from 2007 to 2010. Notably, however, the company brought to Poland not only its major titles but also several other games whose official global publishers were entirely different entities.

The history of Codemasters

The 8- and 16-bit era

Codemasters Software Company Ltd. was founded on August 6th, 1986, by brothers David, Richard, and Jim Darling, who had begun their careers at Mastertronic. Initially, the company operated under the name Electric Games Company Ltd., which was changed later the same year. Initially, Codemasters focused on the rapidly growing ZX Spectrum personal computer gaming market, though its portfolio also included software for the Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, Amiga, Atari XL, and Atari ST. Between 1986 and 1991, the British developer was known primarily for producing low-budget action games featuring simple puzzles. Among the most important titles from this period is undoubtedly the Dizzy series, launched in 1987, which became the studio's first major hit and spawned numerous sequels. Codemasters also became famous as the creator of a large number of simple simulation games, mainly sports and racing titles, though it also produced quirky simulations like a tank simulator or a lawn mower simulator.

In 1992, Codemasters began gradually moving away from the low-budget gaming market, focusing instead on more serious titles. A year later, the last entry in the hugely popular - though still budget - Dizzy series was released. With the decline of 8-bit computers, the company increasingly shifted its focus to consoles such as the Nintendo Entertainment System and the Sega Genesis, as well as the Sega Game Gear handheld. Interestingly, a large part of Codemasters' output at the time was released by the notorious Camerica, a company known for bypassing Nintendo's security systems to publish unlicensed games for the NES.

Another often-cited "controversial" achievement of the British team was the creation of the Game Genie device for the most popular consoles of that time. It made it possible to modify game code (including many features hidden or blocked by manufacturers), allowing players to manipulate various gameplay elements and, as a result, to cheat in console games. Interestingly, while Nintendo considered the patent to be a violation of the law and tried in various ways to halt the device's sales, Sega, its competitor, fully approved the Game Genie as one of the official accessories for its console. However, Sega agreed to this only on the condition that the device would not be used with games featuring save functionality.

In 1991, the first installment of the Micro Machines arcade racing series was released, which over the following years became a true trademark of Codemasters and spawned four full-fledged entries along with numerous imitators. Sports titles like Pete Sampras Tennis (published 1994-97) and Brian Lara Cricket (developed 1996-2007) also enjoyed considerable success. The British team also made their mark in the popular pinball genre with the well-received Psycho Pinball, released in 1994.

By the late 1990s, Codemasters had shifted its focus to racing games. In 1997, the first TOCA Touring Car Championship game was released, launching one of the company's most important franchises, later developed as Race Driver and now known as GRID. A year later, the British turned to car rallying, releasing Colin McRae Rally, named after the multiple world rally champion known as the "Flying Scotsman". The game was a huge success and, in the following years, became a key brand in Codemasters' portfolio, although, like the aforementioned TOCA, it is now developed under a completely different name: DiRT.

The 32-bit era

From 1999 to 2006, Codemasters focused on developing its two racing series, Colin McRae Rally and TOCA / Race Driver, which were joined in 2003 by the new IndyCar Series. However, the game failed to match the success of its predecessors and, following the release of a sequel, was ultimately discontinued in 2004. At the same time, the company also entered the sports management market, initially creating the console-only LMA Manager games (1999-2006) and the unique Club Football project (2003-2004), which consisted of around a dozen separate titles, each focused on a popular European football club.

To further strengthen its presence overseas, Codemasters opened a branch in Oakhurst, California, occupying the former headquarters of Sierra Entertainment and hiring former Yosemite Entertainment employees who had been laid off in mid-1999. An unusual but highly successful detour was the Music Generator series, created in collaboration with Jester Interactive and MTV, which dominated the music programming segment on PlayStation and Xbox consoles from 1998 to 2004. In the early 2000s, Codemasters also made its first attempt at the MMO market, but the promising Dragon Empires was canceled after its official beta testing.

In 2005, Rod Cousens, a former Acclaim Entertainment employee, became Managing Director of Codemasters, while the company secured major funding from Benchmark Capital Europe, previously involved in backing services like Twitter, Snapchat, and Instagram. The British company also obtained a license to develop the popular military simulator Operation Flashpoint and, together with Bohemia Interactive, released the console version, Operation Flashpoint: Elite. Between 2009 and 2011, it produced two more full-fledged installments in the franchise.

Also in 2005, Codemasters established the Online Gaming division, dedicated entirely to MMO titles. Its first published game was Archlord, created in collaboration with South Korea's NHN Games. In August, Codemasters Mobile was established to bring the company's products to the mobile market. Two years later, Codemasters opened a development studio in Guildford, UK, led by Adrian Bolton. The first and only game from this team was the shooter Bodycount, released in 2011, serving as the spiritual successor to the cult classic Black on Xbox and PlayStation 2. However, following the game's rather lukewarm reception, the Codemasters Guildford studio was closed.

In 2007, the renowned Colin McRae Rally series was renamed DiRT, reflecting the developers' intention to emphasize its shift toward off-road racing. A similar fate befell the next installment in the Race Driver series, released a year later: it was renamed GRID and moved away from the traditional circuit racing of its predecessors. Meanwhile, Codemasters shifted its focus toward publishing games from third-party developers, resulting in titles such as Hospital Tycoon, Clive Barker's Jericho, Rise of the Argonauts, Damnation, and Fuel, along with the Sensible Soccer and Overlord franchises. In June 2007, Codemasters lost its independence following a takeover by the Balderton Capital group. The company logo, used since 1991, also changed. In April 2007, the company signed a distribution agreement with Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment (terminated a year later) and re-entered the MMO market in Europe with the releases of Fury and The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar.

In March 2008, a partnership with Majesco Entertainment was announced, under which Codemasters developed several lesser-known titles for the Nintendo DS and Wii consoles. A month later, the company acquired SEGA Racing Studios, which, after the commercial failure of SEGA Rally, had been slated for closure under SEGA's plans. The team was led by Guy Wilday, a former producer of the Colin McRae Rally series. That same year, Codemasters' founders, the Darling brothers, received the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for their contributions to the video game industry.

Meanwhile, the company obtained the Formula 1 racing license, previously held by Sony Computer Entertainment, marking the birth of a completely new - and simultaneously one of the most significant - brands in Codemasters' history, which continues to be actively developed today. In November 2008, the company acquired a division of Swordfish Studios and renamed it Codemasters Birmingham. In subsequent years, this team focused primarily on developing the F1 series.

The 2010s

In April 2010, the Indian company Reliance BIG Entertainment announced it had acquired a 50 percent stake in Codemasters Software Company. In the following months, The Lord of the Rings Online launched under a new free-to-play model, but in May 2011 Codemasters ultimately returned full development control to the original creators at Turbine Entertainment. In mid-2012, it was announced that the company would discontinue the development of non-racing games, shifting its focus to its core brands - DiRT, GRID, and F1 - with all future titles to be released under the Codemasters Racing label.

However, in 2016 the company abandoned this plan and reverted to its standard logo in subsequent installments of its series. On June 9th, 2013, Reliance Entertainment increased its stake in Codemasters from 50 to 60.41 percent, becoming the company's majority owner. Rod Cousens left Codemasters in April 2015, with COO Frank Sagnier appointed as his successor. In April 2016, Codemasters hired most of the employees from Evolution Studios after Sony Computer Entertainment shut the studio down.

That same month, DiRT Rally launched on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, marking the first simulation entry in the DiRT series - PC players had already been able to try it out back in 2015. In 2017, the DiRT series released its fourth installment, where the developers tried to strike a balance between the realistic DiRT Rally and the earlier, more arcade-style DiRT games. Micro Machines: World Series also came out in 2017, but it didn't get much attention.

In June 2018, we finally got to see what the Evolution Studios team, now part of Codemasters, had been working on. OnRush, a unique racing game that borrowed a lot from so-called "hero shooters", was released. The game didn't click with players, and poor sales led to massive layoffs among the developers less than a month after it came out. Developers who wanted to stay had to reapply, only to end up in lower-level positions.

But it seemed like the failure of OnRush didn't hurt Codemasters' fortunes. February 2019 saw the launch of DiRT Rally 2.0, followed by F1 2019 in June, which was warmly received by fans. October also brought the release of GRID, the fourth game in the racing series that started in 2008 and builds on the legacy of the Race Driver games. At the end of November 2019, Codemasters announced it had acquired Slightly Mad Studios, taking on all of its employees - around seven hundred people - and its entire portfolio, including the Project CARS brand.

At the time, we learned the change wouldn't affect either team's structure - Frank Sagnier would stay on as Codemasters' CEO, while Ian Bell would continue leading Slightly Mad Studios. The project cost Codemasters $30 million, with $25 million paid in cash and $5 million in stock. Depending on Slightly Mad Studios' operating profit, that amount could go up over the next three years. In 2020, Codemasters released F1 2020 and also developed DiRT 5, which was one of the launch titles for the new ninth-generation consoles, the Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5.

Change of ownership

In November 2020, news broke that Codemasters had been acquired by Take-Two Interactive. The new owner paid just under $980 million for the company. The deal was expected to close in the first quarter of 2021. Strauss Zelnick, CEO of Take-Two Interactive, was excited not only about working closely with the British developers but also about significantly boosting 2K Games' sports lineup. However, his plans were blocked by Electronic Arts, which in December made a much higher offer to buy Codemasters for around $1.2 billion.

At the time, studio head Gerhard Florin talked about a "shared ambition to become a leader in the racing game category", while EA CEO Andrew Wilson called the merger a "fascinating opportunity" to "create incredible and innovative racing games" Just like Take-Two Interactive's earlier attempt, this deal was expected to wrap up in the first quarter of 2021.

Under the new owner, Codemasters was expected to keep operating as usual. However, the company's structure changed quickly when CEO Frank Sagnier and CFO Rashid Varachia resigned in July 2021. Clive Moody and Jonathan Bunney stepped in to take over management. Then, in May 2022, Codemasters Cheshire was merged into Criterion Games and helped develop Need for Speed: Unbound. In December 2023, news came out that Codemasters had gone through a round of layoffs. EA tried to reassure fans, saying the staff reductions would be "small".

As for the studio's games, F1 2021 came out in July 2021, and the next GRID entry, GRID Legends, was released in February 2022. In the years that followed, the team focused on expanding the F1 series and working on their new rally game. We're talking about WRC, which launched on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S in November 2023. The game was well-received by industry media, with Metacritic showing an average score of around 76-80 out of 100.

However, WRC ran into issues and ultimately wasn't successful enough to meet Electronic Arts' expectations. Over time, Codemasters shifted its focus entirely to the F1 series, officially ending its work on the WRC brand and rally games in May 2025. On top of that, the studio went through staff cuts, with some employees moved to other EA Sports teams.

Shortly after, unofficial reports emerged that Electronic Arts was thinking about shutting down Codemasters. Employees working on the F1 series were expected to be retained and absorbed by EA, along with those assigned to the new Need for Speed project.