Codemasters Stops Rally Game Production

Codemasters has officially announced that no additional expansions will be released for 2023’s EA Sports WRC, marking the end of development for the title. In a further setback, the studio confirmed it is temporarily halting work on future rally projects.

The veteran British racing studio shared the announcement through EA.com.

"Our WRC partnership represented a milestone in Codemasters' long legacy of off-road racing games, from the early Colin McRae Rally titles to the Dirt franchise," reads the studio’s statement. "For decades, we've created a sanctuary for rally fans, constantly innovating to capture the white-knuckle intensity of pushing vehicles to their limits. We've assembled world-class development talent, collaborated with motorsport legends, and shared our passion for rallying with millions."

The World Rally Championship organization responded to the news on social media with an enigmatic post stating the "WRC gaming franchise is entering a bold new era, with more details to follow soon."

This development will disappoint motorsport enthusiasts, particularly following EA's high-profile acquisition of Codemasters in 2020.

The announcement coincides with recent reports of extensive layoffs at EA, affecting about 300 employees including roughly 100 at Respawn Entertainment.

For nearly 30 years, Codemasters has dominated rally gaming – from 1998's groundbreaking Colin McRae Rally, which launched a legendary racing series, to subsequent reinventions of the franchise. After rally legend Colin McRae's tragic death in 2007, the series rebranded as Dirt, with 2009's Dirt 2 (titled Colin McRae: Dirt 2 in certain regions) marking an evolutionary step. The franchise took a more hardcore simulation approach with 2015's Dirt Rally.

2023's EA Sports WRC represented Codemasters' first officially licensed WRC game since 2002's Colin McRae Rally 3. According to IGN's review, the title combined the exceptional handling of 2019's Dirt Rally 2.0 with authentic WRC branding, though technical issues initially hindered the experience. Subsequent patches addressed notable performance problems like screen tearing.