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EA now owns Codemasters and its many, many racing games
EA has completed its $1.2 billion acquisition of Codemasters, giving it an edge in racing games,
EA moves closer to $1.2 billion Codemasters purchase
Shareholders of the racing game studio approved the deal.
Take-Two is buying F1 developer Codemasters for almost $1 billion
The mega-publisher behind 2K and Rockstar now owns Codemasters.
OSIRIS-REx will attempt its first asteroid sample collection next month
NASA's OSIRIS-REx will touch down on asteroid Bennu to collect space rocks on October 20th.
NASA will pay private companies to collect Moon dirt samples
NASA is looking to buy Moon dirt from private companies before its 2024 Moon mission.
Inside Indonesia's fight to save its most important soil
Often referred to as one of the world's most important ecosystems, it's also one that's rapidly disappearing in bogs across the planet. While Indonesia's peatlands store more carbon than anywhere else in the world, they have been severely degraded. Once it's dry, peat can burn.
'Dirt 5' will arrive in October
Its the first game in the main Dirt series since 2017.
Codemasters restructuring, reports suggest 80 layoffs
Grid and Dirt developer Codemasters is consulting "affected employees" as part of a restructuring process, with 80 people reportedly being laid off as a result. A "strong source" told GamesIndustry International the figure, saying the majority of those layoffs are being made at the company's global headquarters in Southam, England.A Codemasters spokesperson told us there is no confirmed number of affected employees, referring to numbers reported elsewhere as "speculative." Codemasters' official statement says the restructuring is "not companywide," and that the process isn't expected to affect development of "core console and PC titles" like Grid 2 and this year's Formula One game.Codemasters' official statement reads: "As the Company realigns its operations to focus on areas of increased strategic importance and decrease resources in areas that are not delivering value for the business, the Company has proposed the restructure of certain aspects within its digital development and publishing units in line with future product strategy. As a result of the proposed restructure, the Company has therefore entered into a period of collective consultation with the affected employees. The restructure is not companywide and is not anticipated to impact the development of its core console and PC titles such as Grid 2 or its annual Formula One title."
Dirt Showdown ditches rally for arcade-style events
If you lamented Dirt 3's decorum and its increased focus on the rally discipline, Codemasters has a flashy alternative in Dirt Showdown, coming to PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in May 2012. Gamespot has the first details on the spinoff, which eschews racing for a trio of arcade-style modes and a plethora of pyrotechnics. Dirt Showdown features "Hoonigan events," in which you perform driving stunts within compounds around the world (similar to Dirt 3's gymkhana challenges). You'll also find a crunchy ode to collisions in the demolition derby events, alongside some more straightforward (minus those devilish hairpin turns) racing modes. You won't find point-to-point style dashes through lush foliage and arid landscapes here -- though Gamespot notes they'll "return with a renewed focus on simulation in Dirt 4." The preview claims that Showdown has an answer to Need for Speed's Autolog, allowing racers to challenge and monitor each other's performance online. A "mission-based" mode provides the foundation for much of these social challenges. It seems the game's style and tone, compared to Dirt 3, is perhaps best captured in the "King of the Ring" gametype, which sees all participating cars racing to a central point and then disintegrating into a shiny cloud of wrecked bits. And to think, we used to be so impressed when those triangles came flying off the cars in PlayStation's Destruction Derby.
Dirt 3's 'VIP Pass' can't be disabled for PS3 owners
WB and Netherrealm earned some goodwill from PS3 Mortal Kombat owners recently, by disabling the "Kombat Pass" and allowing players to fight online without redeeming the one-time-use code in the PlayStation Store (which is down). Unfortunately, such a concession won't be possible for Dirt 3. "We've looked into doing something similar for Dirt 3 but it's not technically possible," a Codemasters rep told Eurogamer. "It's hard-coded into the game." Removing the VIP pass requirement would involve a patch, the publisher explained, which would likely take longer to push through than it will take for the Store to come back online. An alternate solution to this problem (though not for Dirt 3, since it's already out) would be to cut out Online Pass schemes in general. We wonder if anyone has suggested that.
Dirt 3 review: Pep rally
Dirt 3 really, really wants you to love rally racing as much as it does. It wants you to love the speed, the grit, and the cheers of the crowd just barely audible over the roar of your engine. It also wants you to love how difficult the sport is, how tough it is to keep your off-road vehicle on the road in muddy terrain. It's a good thing that it does, because it doesn't find any qualms with dropping you right in the middle of its world of drifts, revs, and ... zombies?%Gallery-99276%
ESPN debuts Dirt 3 in action
The first trailer for Codemasters' upcoming rally game, Dirt 3, debuted last night on ESPN's X-Games. It offers a glimpse at several environments and promises the return of chilly weather effects to the series -- well, right before a truck explodes and heats things back up. Dirt 3, which is supposed to turn all that EXTREME showboating down a notch, is due in 2011. Have a look at the trailer just after the break. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
Codemasters dishes on acquisition, expansion and forthcoming games
Codemasters employees worried about having to pack up their stuff and head for Bangalore should probably relax, as VP of studios Gavin Cheshire denied such plans in a Develop interview. After a recent 50 percent acquisition by Indian company Reliance Big Entertainment, worry apparently spread about the possibility of Codemasters relocating development to its new parent company's home country. "I can safely say that this is absolutely not the case," Cheshire said. "There are obviously some 'strategic' moves for both partners, but in terms of development at the level we're at, it's very much about Reliance investing in our skills and abilities over here in the UK." Let's hope Reliance is investing lots, as Cheshire spells out a whole mess of titles currently in development at the UK-based publisher's trio of development studios. "Our Guildford studio is working hard on Bodycount, and we will be looking to take that franchise further and further with the addition of more IP. In Southam it's full steam ahead with the next iteration in our Flashpoint series, as well as the next Dirt and Grid." Thankfully, with all those games in development, the publisher has a plan -- and an upcoming game engine, EGO 2.0 -- for helping to manage it all. "We are focused on EGO 2.0 at the moment, which will be coming in with a massive title that we can't talk about just yet. That will really keep us cutting-edge." Cutting-edge, you say? Figure skating sim confirmed?! We think so!
Codemasters VP casually reveals Dirt 3
Up until now, we hadn't the slightest inclination that Codemasters was hard at work on a third installment in the rallycross racing series, Dirt. According to a recent interview with Edge, though, studio vice prez Gavin Cheshire confirms not only the game's development, but also says, "there's some really great stuff coming from Birmingham that's going into Dirt 3." Cheshire was being interviewed on the subject of Codemasters as one of the last "big British publishers" when he revealed the publisher's development plans for the sequel. The exec hopes to see more of the company's home of origin (and its culture) leak into the next Dirt game, saying "Dirt 2: brilliant game, but it's all American accents, so maybe we're a little over the top with those ... maybe we should fly the flag a bit more." In addition to this week's announce of Bodycount, that brings the publisher's GDC new game reveals up to two. Will we see more before the week is out? We just dont know. [Via VG247]
Best of the Rest: Randy's Picks of 2009
Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes If I had my way ... well, a lot of things would be different. When it came to video games, I'd make sure that everyone -- whether they own a Nintendo DS or not -- had a chance to play Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes. Now, I know, Might and Magic? Isn't that some long-dead RPG franchise that's probably best left in the ground? Well, yes -- but Clash of Heroes is about as far from any of the other games in the series as you can get. At its core, it's a puzzle game -- a combat puzzle game -- developed by Capybara, the same team behind PSN's wonderful Critter Crunch. Take that game's core mechanic, add a load of clever new ones and build a story-driven experience around it and you have one of the finest (not to mention most addicting) DS games ever.
Okay, for serious this time, DiRT 2 is coming to PC on December 8
After suffering from a series of delays, Codemasters rallycross racer DiRT 2 is arriving on PCs this December 8. As confirmed by Codies community man "Ice" on the developer's forums, the game will be arriving a week late to the PC due to a reason that is "far too boring to go into." He assures fans that it's not a "technical issue in any way, shape, or form," and that he has assurance from the US office that the game's ship date is confirmed for December 8. Just a few more days, PC-owning DiRT fans! We promise this time! %Gallery-45501%
DiRT 2 PC demo hits the track
The PC version of Codies racer DiRT 2 may be a bit behind the console pack, but it's crossing the finishing line in style. The extra time has allowed the team to throw a couple of more DirectXs in there (they've got it up to 11 now!) and fine-tune all of the game's tessellation. And if you're still on the sidelines, wondering whether the game is for you (or, more importantly, if your puny rig can handle all of this Xtreme tessellation action), then why not try the game out right now? Codemasters was kind enough to hook up our sister site Big Download with a PC demo, so feel free to get a little dirty. Just, uh, change your clothes first. Your mom would kill us if you ruined that new Nickelback T-shirt.
DirectX 11-powered Dirt 2 heading to PCs in early December
During Microsoft's big coming-out party for Windows 7 today in New York City, Codemasters showed off the new DirectX 11 version of the upcoming PC port of Dirt 2 that you see above. Though the developer said little of new content additions being made to the game, the already gorgeous visuals have been gussied up with help from DirectX 11, and cheevos will be ready for the taking on Games for Windows Live. Meeting its previously announced delay head-on, Dirt 2 starts shipping in North America on December 1, with December 3 and 4 release dates for the rest of the world (in your face, world!).
GTA IV, Dead Space coming to Xbox 360 Games on Demand this month
The Xbox 360's Games on Demand service is getting quite the booster shot this month, as Microsoft has announced six new titles coming to the service in October. The festivities kicked off earlier this week with the release of Rainbow Six Vegas 2 and Call of Duty 3. Here's what the rest of this month has in store: October 13 Grand Theft Auto IV October 20 Midnight Club: Los Angeles Army of Two Sonic Unleashed October 27 Dead Space DiRT There's no word on price for any of these titles right now, so we've checked with Microsoft and will be sure to update you when we hear back.
Codemasters' go-to driving dev departs
Gavin Raeburn, the guy who may be most responsible for beloved Codies-brand racers like DiRT 2 and GRID, has resigned from the company, VG247 reports. After a stint lasting more than 20 years, the former executive producer has "moved on to pastures new," said Gavin Cheshire, VP of Codemasters Development. Cheshire added, "it's positive for any individual to move when they feel they're at the top." "[Raeburn] leaves having built an incredibly talented team that's led by key players who will drive our racing portfolio forward." There's no word on where Raeburn is headed, but there's a good chance it's Disney World.
