5 Things I hope come from EA buying Codemasters

When the news first broke that Codemasters — legendary racing game developers and publishers — were potentially getting purchased by Take Two, I was worried about what it could mean for the flagship F1 gaming series. Would the supposed F1 2K series go the Virtual Currency-soaked way of NBA 2K, or would it deteriorate like the WWE 2K series has?

To say my hopes were low would be an understatement. And then Electronic Arts swooped in and dropped far more money. They officially bought Codemasters in February. And, well, I wasn’t sure that EA would be any better. EA often gets a bad wrap for its handling of various franchises. Yet, looking back at my lifetime as a gamer, many of my favorite franchises have the Electronic Arts or EA Sports logo at the beginning.

It’s easy to see where Codemasters’ cadre of racing franchises fit into EA’s overall lineup. The F1 and Dirt series are some of my favorite racing games, and at my most optimistic, I can only think how EA’s larger backing can have a positive impact on those games. When I’m being pessimistic, I think of how loot boxes might weasel their ways into my favorite franchises.

But keeping things positive, here are five things I hope to see come from EA’s purchase of Codemasters, in no particular order:

• The addition of Codemasters’ games into EA Play/Gamepass. Already, Dirt 5 is there, as is F1 2019. Dirt Rally 2.0 was there previously, and many Codemasters games have cycled through Gamepass. In the most recent past, I’m waiting for F1 2020 and Project Cars 3 to make their way in. But looking into the history of Codemasters, I’d love to their back catalog make its way into Gamepass: Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising; Rise of the Argonauts; any of the old Rally or TOCA games; and a particular dream would be IndyCar Series 2005, though I’m not expecting a licensed game like that to resurface.
• Enhanced TV-style presentation into the F1 series. That series has made tremendous strides in its presentation over the past few years, from additions that make single-player careers more engaging, to its incredibly deep career mode. I don’t want the bones of the game to change, but hope that some of EA’s slick presentation can rub off.
• Online stability: F1 games are somewhat notorious for launching with broken online modes. It’s enough that I really don’t venture into the online just so I can avoid the frustration. I’ve never had that much trouble connecting to a game of Madden or FIFA. Tied in with this could be more tie-ins to real-life racing weekends. Give us more incentive to jump into the game during a race weekend.
• Ultimate Team Mode: Okay, I know I said above that I didn’t want to see a bunch of loot boxes added into F1, but an Ultimate Team mode could add some much needed longevity to the game. I also love the way that MUT, FUT or 2K’s MyTeam modes allow fans to appreciate the history of the sport. I’m not sure how F1 Ultimate Team would work, exactly, but I’d be on-board for it.
• Risk-taking: My biggest hope for this merger is one I think is the least likely. In the recent past, Codemasters has actually taken a few risks: The odd racing/combat hybrid OnRush; turning Project Cars into a casual racing game for the third iteration; pushing Dirt 5 full-casual, as well. These “risks” have been a way for Codemasters to punch toward the casual market, and they’ve been somewhat middling. I hope, with EA’s backing, that the teams continue to take risks. Could this lead to the return of Burnout? I’d love to see what a team with a big budget could do with the Wreckfest formula.

I’m not sure what will come out of EA’s purchase of Codemasters. Most immediately, it should bring more games into the EA Play/Gamepass vault. But over the next three to five years, I hope it leads to even more polished and diverse racing games, with stronger online and flashier presentation. Ideally, with the on-track gameplay remaining stellar.

Written by GamesReviews contributor Seth Roy.