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Codemasters To Release Two Formula 1 Games

Luke Plunkett — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 10:30:00 +0000

While we’ve long known Codemasters have been working on a new Formula 1 game – and also that it would be serious – the company have today come out and made some official announcements.

Seems there is not one, but two F1 games currently in development. The first will be out this year, and will be for the PSP and Wii. The second will be out 360, PS3 & PC and, presumably because the bigger machines need longer development cycles, won’t be on shelves until 2010.

Both games are of course officially licensed, meaning they’ll feature real cars, real drivers and real tracks. Still no word on those Nazi sex dungeon minigames, though.

Codemasters unveils F1 line-up [MCV]

Relax, Codemasters’ F1 Game Is A Sim

Luke Plunkett — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 10:30:00 +0000

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 Gets Formula One License

Kotaku US Edition — Fri, 09 May 2008 16:40:00 +0000

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.

Codemasters Studios to drive new generation of FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP games across multiple formats.

Codemasters®, developer and publisher of award-winning racing video games, has secured the exclusive video game rights to FORMULA 1 it was announced today. In a worldwide licensing agreement with Formula One Administration Limited, Codemasters will develop a new generation of the multi-million selling FORMULA 1 game franchise across multiple platforms.
Codemasters Studios, creators of genre-leading racing titles Colin McRae: DiRT™ and Race Driver: GRID™, will lead the design and development of official FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP games for home console, handheld and PC gaming formats.
“FORMULA 1 is ambitious in expanding its reach with more circuits planned beyond recent additions in the Middle East and China. It is also ambitious in expanding its reach via technology. The digital communities that computer and video gaming creates will play a key role in further growing the FORMULA 1 audience and connecting them globally,” said Rod Cousens, chief executive officer, Codemasters.
“As a world-leading creator of driving games, this alliance with FORMULA 1 is the jewel in Codemasters’ racing crown and creates an undisputed segment champion. FORMULA 1 has gone with the best, the segment leader. It has gone to the home of the EGO Engine for quality; it has gone to the company that can host FORMULA 1 Online, to the company that is streaking away from the pack.”
“Codemasters’ success and recent innovations in the racing game space makes the company more than appropriately tuned for the challenge,” said Chris Deering, chairman, Codemasters.”The combination of FORMULA 1’s new momentum of expansion and Codemasters’ contemporary technology and past experience is the breaking of a new dawn for the sport, on the track and on the HD game screen.”
The worldwide deal provides Codemasters with rights to feature all Grand Prix circuits, FORMULA 1 teams, cars, and driver likenesses.
The FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP games will be developed using the evolution of the award-winning EGO™ Game Technology Engine, Codemasters’ highly versatile cross-platform middleware technology. Its advanced graphics and physics technology brings an unmatched cinematic quality and realism to interactive entertainment.
The EGO Engine is currently being deployed in the creation of Race Driver: GRID™, the latest in Codemasters Studio’s international circuit-based racing series. Set to be a landmark release when it launches on May 30th, Race Driver: GRID was recently hailed as”The driving game of the summer” by BBC Top Gear magazine.
Codemasters expects the first game based on the FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP to launch in 2009.

Formula 1 Gets Greedy, Sony Ditches License

Luke Plunkett — Thu, 08 May 2008 13:20:00 +0000

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]