Codemasters acquires Project CARS developer Slightly Mad Studios

Project CARS 2
Project CARS 2 (Image credit: Slightly Mad Studios)

What you need to know

  • Today, Codemasters announced that it was acquiring Slightly Mad Studios.
  • Slightly Mad Studios has worked on games like Need for Speed: Shift and Project CARS in the past.
  • Codemasters' specialty in racing makes it a great fit.
  • It's unclear what the future of the console, the Mad Box, is at the moment.

According to a report by GamesIndustry, racing game developer Codemasters has purchased Slightly Mad Studios (SMS) for $30 million. While various clauses may make the price go even higher when the deal is finalized, the acquisition is going to go through.

SMS is known for games like Need for Speed: Shift, but lately, the company has focused on the Project CARS franchise. According to reports, Project CARS 3 and Project CARS Go are in the works. Given the fact that Codemasters is an expert in the racing genre, hopefully, the combination of both teams will elevate the Project CARS franchise. It still has a long way to go to compete with the likes of Forza Motorsport or Forza Horizon from Xbox Game Studios.

Codemasters head Frank Sagnier said the following about the acquisition.

Codemasters' acquisition of SMS will create a global leader in the racing genre. Their focus on AAA quality and the passion that they put into everything they create mirrors our own. Both companies have a number of world-renowned, successful franchises along with exciting product development pipelines, supported by leading IP and some of the best talent in the gaming industry. The enlarged Codemasters will have greater scale and reach, diversified, predictable revenue streams and the opportunity to bring outstanding entertainment to a far wider audience. We welcome Ian and his team to the Codemasters family and can't wait to start working together to create the future generation of racing franchises.

What do you hope will happen given that both of these developers are joining forces? Let us know. Wonder what'll happen to that console SMS is working on called the Mad Box.

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Asher Madan

Asher Madan handles gaming news for Windows Central. Before joining Windows Central in 2017, Asher worked for a number of different gaming outlets. He has a background in medical science and is passionate about all forms of entertainment, cooking, and antiquing.