Despite the fact the last few Sony F1 games were fairly forgettable, some people are worried now that Codemasters hold the Formula 1 licence. Worried they'll make a forgettable game. Worried that, being Codemasters - the team behind Grid and Dirt - their F1 game will be some kind of arcade racer. Well it won't! Responding to such fears on the official boards, the official response from Codies is:

GRID and DiRT are aimed at an arcade audience and they do that very well. F1 has different requirements and will get a completely different treatment from our in-house team, including full on sim options, physics, rules and regs etc. We will also have arcade requirements catered for as well. How this will be split we do not know yet, but split it will be.

No word on whether they'll also include team spying and nazi sex dungeons, but we can only hope.

This is the End of F-1 game! [Codemasters, via Voodoo Extreme] [Pic]

Codemasters scores another one for its racing lineup - the Colin McRae: DiRT and Race Driver: Grid creators acquired the exclusive rights to develop Formula 1 racing games for console, handheld and PC. The deal will let Codies feature all Grand Prix circuits, teams, cars and driver likenesses in its titles, with the first of these to launch in 2009.

Calling the licence "the jewel in Codemasters' racing crown," the developer-publisher said that snagging the licence is a victory for its proprietary EGO game engine and a vote of confidence in its leadership in the racing game segment. As Formula 1 develops more international circuits, it's looking to expand its consumer reach, and seems to have chosen video games as an avenue.

Full release follows the jump.

Read More »

Sony have been putting out the official Formula 1 racing games for years now. But if rumours at TG Daily are to be believed, they've turned down an offer to renew the partnership, after a disagreement with the sport's governing body over costs. According to TG Daily, Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone asked Sony for a "hefty increase" to the estimated $US 75 million deal they agreed to for the 2003-2007 seasons. Sony won't pay, and have walked away from the deal, leaving EA, Ubisoft and Codemasters to fight it out. Can't really blame Sony for this: F1 games have always had a dedicated, hardcore following, but the games have more often than not been a bit shit, and have never translated into the kind of sales Sony would expect from a sport so popular across many parts of the world.

License clash between Sony and Formula 1 Boss means no F1 games [TG Daily, via Gameplayer]