If all goes according to plan, the company specializing in driving games will join EA in the first quarter of 2021.
Codemasters (Dirt 5, Grid, F1 2020, ProjectCars) will cease to be an independent studio, but will not operate under Take-Two Interactive, as has been confirmed in recent weeks, as Electronic Arts decided to submit an offer more attractive. The company that owns Rockstar Games withdrew from the race, and Strauss Zelnick, CEO of the company, has spoken about all this. The manager has been disappointed at not having been able to complete the operation, but argues that they have acted as dictated by internal discipline.
“We have lost our deal by Codemasters against our friends in the west,” he commented at the shareholders’ meeting. “This has been disappointing, but it reflects our discipline on these kinds of issues.” Still, Americans are not throwing in the towel and are still looking for new opportunities within the industry. “As of today we have to make an acquisition that has not yet worked,” he continues. “We are looking for great teams, excellent intellectual properties and a deal that increases shareholder value.”
We want to know … who was your Driver of the Day in yesterday’s #VirtualGP?
Watch the highlights of last night’s action-packed race on @ F1’s YouTube Channel: https://t.co/inpoHdL0sh
Keep your eyes peeled for details of this weekend’s grid 👀 pic.twitter.com/uPyuSSOwqW
– Codemasters (@Codemasters) February 8, 2021
Take-Two Interactive will continue to search for something like this, “sometimes aggressively”, but always “with the calculator in hand” when making these movements. They will also assess operations from a strategic point of view.
The relationship with Gearbox continues
Another issue that has been discussed is the purchase of Gearbox by Embracer Group. The Borderlands 3 developers will become part of the corporate conglomerate that both THQ Nordic and Koch Media belong to. And what will happen to the intellectual property and the collaborations with Gearbox? Take-Two affiliate 2K Games said they will continue to edit the games and work with the studio. At the meeting, Zelnick acknowledged that the studio “is close” to their hearts. “We are grateful that we are still doing business with Gearbox, so they will continue to work with us on Borderlands and other titles.”
Codemasters shareholders recently approved the acquisition by Electronic Arts, which expects to complete the transaction during the first quarter of 2021.
