EA Overtakes Take-Two in Codemasters Acquisition

ea new announcement

Following yesterday’s news that EA is seeking to buy Codemasters after Take-Two Interactive’s initial announcement, EA has announced that it has reached an agreement with the Board of Codemasters to aqcuire the UK-based studio.

In the announcement, it states that Codemasters’ shareholders will be entitled to receive 604 pence (approximately US$7.98*) in cash for each ordinary share of Codemasters with an implied enterprise value of $1.2 billion, with the acquisition expected to be completed in the first quarter of calendar 2021.

A “Strategic Rationale” has also been revealed as to why the partnership makes sense for both parties.

Strategic Rationale:

  • Electronic Arts believes the combination of EA and Codemasters will enable further growth and success for Codemasters and EA’s popular and innovative racing franchises.
  • Bringing together the combined expertise and talent from Codemasters’ critically-acclaimed sports and racing franchises Formula One, DiRT, DiRT Rally, Grid and Project Cars with EA’s global Need for Speed franchise, fan-favorite Real Racing mobile game and EA SPORTS brands will enable our teams to innovate further, and meaningfully increase the delivery of content and experiences to a growing, global audience for racing entertainment.
  • Codemasters’ deep creative talent which has produced high-quality racing games for many years, including the Formula One franchise that continues to deliver great entertainment for F1’s growing fan base.
  • EA believes it can help accelerate Codemasters’ performance by leveraging EA’s deep expertise in live services operations, game analytics and technology. In addition, EA’s central services teams across development technology, art & motion capture, quality verification, compliance, and localization will all be resources available to Codemasters.
  • EA’s global publishing, marketing and game development support capabilities will also strengthen Codemasters’ existing capabilities, expanding the addressable market for Codemasters’ franchises.
  • The combination of Codemasters and Electronic Arts will enable the development and delivery of a market-leading portfolio of creative and exciting racing games and content to more platforms and more players around the world.
  • The union also creates ongoing and expanded ways for players to engage with the combined portfolio of sports and racing games through EA’s industry-leading multi-platform subscription services.
  • Bringing together Codemasters and Electronic Arts also delivers compelling financial benefit to the combined group. The acquisition is expected to grow net bookings and underlying profitability.
  • Frank Sagnier, Chief Executive Officer of Codemasters, and Rashid Varachia, Chief Financial Officer of Codemasters, along with the senior executive management team of Codemasters intend to remain with Codemasters following completion of the acquisition and will continue to lead the Codemasters business within EA’s organization.

Does this mean Codemasters will be handling Need for Speed? Who knows, but we’re interested to know what the future holds.

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