Codemasters CEO And CFO Depart Just Four Short Months After EA Acquisition

Just four months after Codemasters was acquired by EA, the company's CEO Frank Sagnier and chief financial officer Rashid Varachia have revealed they will be departing the studio at the end of July.

The news was confirmed to Gamesindustry.biz by EA, which claimed this has "always been part of the plan". The acquisition of EA is said to have only accelerated the plans made by the two.

Going forward, both senior vice president of product development Clive Moody and senior vice president of publishing Jonathan Bunney will lead Codemasters. In a statement, EA said the company is "incredibly thankful to Frank and Rashid for everything they have done for Codemasters and Electronic Arts."

"Since joining in 2014, Frank has led Codemasters to a position as a globally renowned studio of racing experts, and enabled their world class talent and passion for motorsports to shine and excel on a global stage. Rashid's financial leadership has also been integral to Codemasters' success, his contributions include driving key acquisitions, listing on the stock market back in 2018, and leading the due diligence and integration of Codemasters into EA.

"We are incredibly thankful to Frank and Rashid for everything they have done for Codemasters and Electronic Arts, and we all wish them the very best. We know the culture they have created and their innovative spirit will very much live on at the studio through their outstanding leadership team."

When EA acquired Codemasters earlier this year, it said it would allow them to "continue to be who they are". Originally, Take-Two was in the running to pick up the studio, but EA swooped in not long after Take-Two pulled their initial offer.

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