On its own, EA has one notable racing series that’s still alive in Need for Speed. It also has the Burnout series, but the last notable game in this was Burnout Paradise, which was released all the way back in 2008. With the acquisition of Codemasters, it adds the F1, WRC, Dirt, Grid and Project Cars series to its own library.
In its financial report, the company tells investors that the Codemasters acquisition will help the company become a “global leader in racing entertainment”. It also claims that the latter’s games were a “natural fit” with “clear opportunities” for EA Sports. Which may not necessarily be a good thing. As Eurogamer points out, this opens up the possibility of an F1 Ultimate Team. The possibility for that happening is very real, and may explain why EA is so interested in acquiring Codemasters. Back in November, racing game maker was in talks with Take-Two instead for the latter to acquire the company. EA stepped in with a bigger offer a month later, and the rest is history. (Source: EA [PDF] via Eurogamer)