EA Play on Xbox Game Pass for PC delayed to 2021; Electronic Arts buys Codemasters for $1.2 billion

Electronic Arts (EA), one of the most recognized video game publisher and developer has just shared some new announcements. As part of the latest announcements, the company has outlined its plans for the future in the industry. First up, the company confirmed that it is purchasing Codemasters, the UK-based video game developer for $1.2 billion. This announcement came just days after initial reports stated that Take-Two Interactive was going to purchase Codemasters for $970 million.

In addition, EA and Microsoft also announced that they are pushing EA Play on Xbox Game Pass for PC to 2021. This last-minute announcement came, on December 15, the day EA Play was set to arrive on Game Pass for PC. Let’s check the details around the EA Play on Game Pass for PC delay and the Codemasters acquisition here.

EA Play will not come to Xbox Game Pass for PC this year, details

According to the official announcement, Microsoft stated that it initially planned on announcing the availability of EA Play. However, the last-minute delay is pushing the release to 2021 for Xbox Game Pass for PC members. The announcement is asking players “for a little more patience” for a better “Xbox Game Pass Experience”. Microsoft has not shared the exact launch date for the arrival of EA Play. Instead, it will have more information “to share early next year”. This likely means that we would see the launch sometime towards the end of Q1 or event Q2 2021. EA Play is already available for Console users as per our past coverage.

Electronic Arts acquires Codemasters

Moving to the second major announcement, EA is expected to close the deal with Codemasters in Q1 2021. A report fromSky News was the first to outline its interest in the deal. the company is evaluating Codemasters at about $7.98 per share. This move is significant as it will make EA the primary game developer in the racing video game genre. For some context, Codemasters is one of the oldest game developers in the UK. In recent years, it has launched a number of flagship racing video game franchises including Dirt, Grid, and Formula 1. Codemasters also acquired the video game developer behind Project Cars back in 2019.

Andrew Wilson, the EA CEO also issued a statement as part of the announcement. Wilson stated, “We believe there is a deeply compelling opportunity in bringing together Codemasters and Electronic Arts to create amazing and innovative new racing games for fans.” Code Masters Chairman Gerhard Florin also said, “Electronic Arts and Codemasters have a shared ambition to lead the video game racing category.” After this deal, racing game franchises like Need for Speed, Dirt, Grid, Formula 1, and Project Cars will be under one developer.