Gaming enthusiasts who are into playing racing games have been satisfied for several years by Electronic Arts(EA) Need for Speed series. But for those who admire F1 racing, EA also had a brief series of F1 racing simulation games. Back in my college days, I got the chance to play the EA F1 2000, and I must confess I was really impressed with what the game offered in terms of a near complete F1 racing experience.
The EA F1 series spanned over five game versions, the last one to come out in 2005. Sales of these games were always patchy, and for a brief period following 2003, EA had stopped sales of F1 games. This freeze was opened up after 2006, and the games are back in circulation. Last year, EA reportedly signed a deal with McLaren’s rookie driver Lewis Hamilton for a new F1 game series(story on digital spy)
Now it seems the going could get tough for EA. In a recent item on Formula 1’s official site, gaming brand Codemasters, makers of games such as the IGI series, Brian Lara Cricket & Colin McRae Rally series has been awarded exclusive video game rights for Formula 1. This means Codemasters will have exclusive rights to feature all F1 Grand Prix circuits, teams, cars & driver likeness.
This deal could potentially pour cold water on EA’s plans for the next F1 series game, as Codemasters are already planning for an early 2009 launch of their F1 game.
I will be awaiting the launch of this game, to see if Codemasters do as much justice to F1 as EA did in their games.
Author’s Notes:
1. Announcement on F1’s official site here
2. EA Games official site here
3. Codemasters’ official site here