Electronic Arts has completed the acquisition of Codemasters, one of the longest-running studios in the UK. According to a press release, the sale price is "604 pence in cash (approximately US$8.37) per Codemasters ordinary share, for an enterprise value of US$1.2 billion. [Codemasters was founded in 1986 by brothers David and Richard Darling and quickly established a reputation for quality titles across a wide range of platforms from ZX Spectrum to Commodore 64, as well as taunting platform holders with quirky products like Game Genie. quickly established a reputation.

In recent decades, Codemasters has shifted its focus entirely to the racing genre, and its expertise in this area was the catalyst for the recent bidding war between EA and Take-Two to acquire the development company. Both companies are huge publishers and are serious about a variety of sports games, and after Take-Two first expressed interest and a tentative deal was even agreed upon, EA got involved in December and when the price reached $1.2 billion, Take-Two decided to pull out.

Two weeks ago, 63 of Codemasters' 76 shareholders (representing 99% of its holdings) approved EA's takeover offer, so the official announcement was a formality, but here it is.

As expected, the "F1" and "Dirt" series, as well as "Project Cars" from Codemasters' subsidiary Slightly Mad Studios, are heavily featured. Unfortunately, there is no mention of Codemasters' dormant but much-loved "sim" FPS series, the now-defunct great "Operation Flashpoint," but you can't have everything, and EA would have made it a mobile game anyway.

EA has previously told investors that its acquisition of Codemasters was to become "the world leader in racing entertainment" and to have the ability to deliver new "racing experiences" annually. [Codemasters CEO Franck Sagnier said, "Today is a landmark day in Codemasters' history and an exciting day for our employees and players. Our partnership with EA will allow our team to take our acclaimed franchise to new heights and reach a huge global audience through EA's player network. Our partnership with EA will allow our team to take our acclaimed franchise to new heights and reach a vast global audience through EA's player network.