Codemasters Ends Rally Game Production

Codemasters has officially announced that no additional expansions will be released for EA Sports WRC (2023), marking the end of development for the game. Alongside this news, the studio revealed it has "halted plans" for future rally game projects.

The UK-based racing game veteran shared this announcement on EA's official website.

"Our WRC partnership represented the culmination of Codemasters' off-road racing legacy, building upon decades of experience with titles like Colin McRae Rally and Dirt," the studio statement explains. "We've created a haven for rally fans, constantly pushing boundaries to capture the white-knuckle excitement of precision driving at the limit. Throughout this journey, we've assembled extraordinary talent, collaborated with rally legends, and expressed our passion for the sport."

The World Rally Championship organization has responded to the news on social media, offering a non-specific statement about the "WRC gaming franchise embarking on an ambitious new direction," promising more details soon.

EA's decision to discontinue Codemasters' rally game development will disappoint motorsport enthusiasts, especially following EA's high-profile acquisition of the historic British studio in 2020.

This announcement follows recent reports of massive layoffs at EA affecting over 300 employees, including about 100 Respawn Entertainment staff members.

Codemasters has dominated rally gaming innovation since the late 1990s, beginning with the groundbreaking Colin McRae Rally in 1998. This influential racing simulator spawned one of gaming's most respected motorsport franchises. After rally champion Colin McRae's tragic death in 2007, the series continued as Dirt. The 2009 sequel Dirt 2 (Colin McRae: Dirt 2 internationally) represented an evolutionary pivot before the franchise transformed again into a pure simulation with 2015's Dirt Rally.

EA Sports WRC (2023) marked Codemasters' return to officially licensed World Rally Championship games after a two-decade absence since Colin McRae Rally 3. As noted in IGN's review, the game incorporated the exceptional physics system from Dirt Rally 2.0 into an official WRC experience - though technical issues initially undermined its potential. Subsequent patches addressed some of these performance problems.