American publisher Electronic Arts is waiving the Project Cars license from Slightly Mad Studios and Codemasters.
This decision by EA came after evaluating the status of Project Cars following the acquisition of Codemasters, concluding that it had little chance of becoming a popular game or integrating with the rest of EA’s racing portfolio from the US publisher. For reference: the first game was released in 2015, and the sequel in 2017. The third part was released in 2020, but, unlike its predecessors, was poorly received by both the press and gamers. All three titles were published by Bandai Namco as Slightly Mad Studios was still independent. The license also had a mobile adaptation that came out in 2021.
EA is dropping Project CARS, according to https://t.co/Mz1KhrAeuF. The firm should “cease further development and investment”in the series, affected personnel should be reassigned to other EA roles where possible https://t.co/iBs1omn27v
— GamesIndustry (@GIBiz) November 8, 2022
An Electronic Arts spokesperson said:
We have announced an update to our portfolio of racing games. After evaluating the future name of Project Cars and its long-term growth potential, we have made the decision to cease further development and investment in this franchise. Decisions like these are very difficult to make, but they allow us to prioritize where we think we have the best chance of creating experiences that fans will love. We are focusing on the strengths of our racing game portfolio, especially licensed intellectual property and open world experiences, and are evolving our franchises to be more socially oriented, with long-term live services that will attract global communities. Games are at the heart of sports entertainment and car racing, and with the changing expectations of fans, we recognize the need to evolve our games beyond pure games by giving fans the ability to watch, create and connect with their friends. We are working with everyone who is affected by this decision to place them in appropriate positions within our EA Sports and racing games portfolio, and elsewhere within EA where possible. Our priority now is to provide the best possible support to our employees during this transition. we recognize the need to develop our games beyond just playing by giving fans the ability to watch, create and connect with their friends. We are working with everyone affected by this decision to place them in appropriate positions across our EA Sports and racing games portfolio, as well as across other EA divisions, where possible. Our priority now is to provide the best possible support to our employees during this transition. we recognize the need to develop our games beyond just playing by giving fans the ability to watch, create and connect with their friends. We are working with everyone who is affected by this decision to place them in appropriate positions within our EA Sports and racing games portfolio, and elsewhere within EA where possible. Our priority now is to provide the best possible support to our employees during this transition. We are working with everyone who is affected by this decision to place them in appropriate positions within our EA Sports and racing games portfolio, and elsewhere within EA where possible. Our priority now is to provide the best possible support to our employees during this transition. We are working with everyone who is affected by this decision to place them in appropriate positions within our EA Sports and racing games portfolio, and elsewhere within EA where possible. Our priority now is to provide the best possible support to our employees during this transition.