EA confirms both Codemasters layoffs and job redeployment following WRC cancellation

Following the pausing of rally game development at Codemasters and the cancellation of a possible EA SPORTS WRC sequel, Electronic Arts has confirmed to Traxion a combination of job losses and team members moving into different roles within the organisation.

Earlier this week, 30th April, it was confirmed that the recent Hard Chargers downloadable content pack would be the “last expansion” and thus, the project’s cessation.

The official game of the World Rally Championship, the project began with the British developer securing the rights away from Nacon nearly five years ago in a five-year deal beginning 2023.

This was before Codemasters was purchased for $1.2 billion by EA in 2021.

Under the stewardship of the game publishing giant, it released its first-ever licensed WRC title in 2023, followed by a 2024-season expansion and two DLC Packs.

It followed the Southam–based studios’ rally game lineage, which includes the pivotal Colin McRae Rally in 1998, 2009’s revered Colin McRae: Dirt 2 and the more serious Dirt Rally spin-offs in the 2010s. You can currently vote in our poll for your favourite.

The rally team is separate from Codemasters’ Birmingham studio, which was founded in 2008 following the takeover of Swordfish Studios to primarily create Formula 1 games.

When asked specifically about redundancies at the rally-bred development team, EA provided the following statement to Traxion:

“As a business, we are constantly evolving to meet the growing needs of our players and driving greater focus across our portfolio.

“This has led us to look at reducing some roles, while we redeploy as many as possible against our strategic priorities, including our EA SPORTS F1 franchise.”

The confirmation of role reduction, or job losses, at Codemasters follows the wider corporation’s decision to cut between 300-400 jobs earlier in the year, according to Bloomberg.

While it is believed that a specific Southam-based driving team no longer exists, the studio acts as a base for other projects such as EA SPORTS FC.

Following the cancellation news, the closure of dedicated Codemasters social media accounts was widely reported, however, this was enacted several months ago as part of “Codemasters’ integration into EA and EA SPORTS.”

The upcoming EA SPORTS F1 25 is unaffected by the recent restructuring. As per EA’s statement, it may see a bolstered development team thanks to those fortunate enough to move across. The latest instalment will be released later this month.