It’s happened.
The company that popularised loot boxes, that company that emphasises AI efficiencies a bit too much, and the company that shuttered the revered Codemasters rally development team has made a move that many fans actually want.
For the first time since 2009, there will not be a new Formula 1 video game next year.
Despite EA SPORTS F1 25 reviewing favourably – I enjoyed the single-player campaigns – there was a growing sentiment that the series had become a little stale.
The most recent instalment can support up to 8K on a PS5 Pro, real-time ray tracing and on PC, path tracing technology and virtual reality. On paper, it ticks all the boxes.
But, somehow, it still looked and felt similar to prior, yearly instalments.
Altering the vehicle handling to be more like F1 23 was a welcome change compared to F1 24’s wayward driving. But that wasn’t exactly a step forward.
“Good news! We’ve regressed by two years,” said someone at Codemasters Birmingham studio. Probably.
It was time for a rethink, and in a surprise move, EA has listened. Real change is on the way.
Instead of an EA SPORTS F1 26 dedicated game next year, there will be a paid-for DLC pack. This will cover the new cars – there are significant rule changes for the sport next year – liveries and, presumably (although not confirmed), the Madring circuit.
Then, in 2027, EA promises a “deeply authentic” and “reimagined” game.
It stopped short of saying all-new game for two years’ time, mind. It also referenced how “more than a third of fans have entered the sport in the last four years”, which makes me wonder about the game’s main focus.
After all, F1 22’s attempt at unlockable sofas and the confusing mess that is F1 World should be lessons heeded. But, its carefully worded statements also talk of a “deeply authentic and innovative representation.”
Ultimately, I don’t think the official F1 game should be an out-and-out simulation – Assetto Corsa EVO is set to add this season’s Ferrari in December to hopefully cater for the sim racing cogniscenti.
Leaning into what makes the sport so popular presently – yes, close competition, but mixed with the lifestyle and the personalities – is, maybe unpopular with the hardcore, but what I’d like to see the most. And I don’t mean that tacked-on Fanzone feature in the current games…
Then, who knows, that could leave space for a more driver-oriented official simulation, harking back to the Geoff Crammond days too?
EA SPORTS F1 25 sold well enough for CEO Andrew Wilson to proclaim that sales were up 27 per cent year-on-year, but with EA now courting new (predominantly Saudi-backed) owners, the time has come to hit reset.
Should the sale go through as planned, there’s enough financial clout to ensure the revenue loss of no full new release next season could be stomached. In the meantime, the Birmingham-based development team has time to inject the required adrenaline boost the gaming series so desperately needs.
It sounds like the ideal plan. One that I and the Traxion team have been begging for. Will it pay off? We’ll find out over the next two years.
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Naïve article tbh.
They did this because they’re behind schedule, likely on a UE5 based engine that was intended to debut for F126.
Throwing together a DLC that will probably still be 80% of the cost of a full game isn’t something they’re doing for our benefit, it’s their own mismanagement.