Four years after its well-documented battle with 2K to acquire racing studio Codemasters, EA is shutting down plans to make future rally games; ending its partnership with WRC in the process.
The EA Sports WRC team confirmed the news this week, via a 'Development Update' message posted to the EA website. The studio also announced that the recently released 'Hard Chargers' DLC will be the last bit of post-launch content for the 2023 title, with development now winding down on EA Sports WRC as well.
Here's the team's message in full:
"Dear Rally Community,
Every great journey eventually finds its finish line, and today, we announce that we've reached the end of the road working on WRC.
After releasing EA SPORTS WRC in 2023, the 2024 season, including the recently released Hard Chargers Content pack, will be our last expansion.
For now, we are pausing development plans on future rally titles. Rest assured, EA SPORTS WRC will continue to be available for existing and new players. We hope it remains a source of joy, excitement, and the thrill of rally racing. We've poured our hearts into making it for fans, and we know you'll keep the passion alive.
Our WRC partnership was a culmination of sorts for our Codemasters journey with off-road racing, spanning decades through titles like Colin McRae Rally, and DiRT. We've provided a home for every rally enthusiast, striving tirelessly to push the boundaries and deliver the exhilarating thrill of driving on the ragged edge. We’ve brought together incredibly talented racing developers, worked with some of the sport’s icons, and had the opportunity to share our love of rallying.
Thank you to all the fans who have and continue to be part of our rally journey.
The Codemasters WRC Team"
Following this update, EA hasn't announced what's next for Codemasters, who have an incredible pedigree when it comes to making rally games. The British studio headed up the Colin McRae Rally series many moons ago, which evolved into the Dirt series for a good few years - prior to them having a crack at an officially licensed WRC game in 2023. All we know for now is that they seemingly won't be making another rally game anytime soon.
Of course, that's not all that this developer is known for. Codemasters has recently been working on GRID and F1 for EA as well, with 2022's GRID Legends and last year's F1 24 the latest entries in those asphalt-based racing series'.