EA + Codemasters: Directors to vote in favour of takeover bid

British racing developers and creators of the F1 series, Codemasters, have been in a rumbling takeover saga for a few months now.

However, it looks like an end is in sight as directors have agreed to vote in favour of the takeover by Electronic Arts.

When will the Codemasters takeover be complete?

Codemasters shareholders still need to vote on the takeover, but that vote is said to be happening on 3 February and shareholders have been recommended to vote in favour of the bid by the board.

If shareholders vote in favour, then a court hearing will sanction the deal on 16 February.

The deal is approximately $1.2 billion, and came after rival games giant Take-Two, owners of Rockstar and 2K Games, made an offer of around $950m.

What impact will this have on F1 2021?

Codemasters' biggest calling card is the amazing Formula 1 series which has been taking huge leaps forward in the last few years.

With the next instalment, F1 2021, believed to be due in June/July this year it is unlikely EA will have any influence on the development of that title.

Fans are likely to start seeing EA's fingerprints from F1 2022 onwards.

Is this a good thing for racing fans?

If you talk to fans of the FIFA and Madden franchises the answer would be a resounding no.

However, Codemasters has proven their ability to create engaging and inovative games, and their F1 deal gives Formula 1 a lot of say over what is and isn't in the game.

That means EA could well have limited room to make changes or push the title in the direction of their other sporting giants.

What they could bring though is more expertise to create a more stable and dedicated multiplayer platform, as well as crossplay which was added to EA title NFS: Heat.

If that is what they bring to the games, then it would be a great thing for everyone.