Codemasters Leadership Exits Following EA Acquisition

Electronic Arts completed its acquisition of Codemasters back in February, and now the developer's leadership has announced that it will be leaving the company. CEO Frank Sagnier and CFO Rashid Varachia will both leave by the end of July. EA beat out Take-Two with a $1.2 billion bid for Codemasters late last year, acquiring the studio and franchises such as F1 and Dirt. According to a statement provided to GamesIndusty.biz, the departures of Sagnier and Varachia were always part of the plan. Clive Moody and Jonathan Bunney will take over leadership positions with the company. Both currently serve as the SVP of product development and SVP of publishing, respectively.

"We are incredibly thankful to Frank and Rashid for everything they have done for Codemasters and Electronic Arts, and we all wish them the very best. We know the culture they have created and their innovative spirit will very much live on at the studio through their outstanding leadership team," EA said in a statement to GamesIndustry.biz.

At the time the purchase was announced, EA laid out its reasons for the bid, and the mutual benefits that would come from the deal. Codemasters has an impeccable track record when it comes to racing games, which should help bolster the EA Sports brand. EA also has strong distribution networks and localization teams that can help these franchises find wider audiences. Subscription services like EA Play were specifically cited as one way to introduce newcomers to these titles, though none of the developer's games have been added to the service as of this writing.

Now that Codemasters is part of Electronic Arts, it will be interesting to see how things play out for the company and its franchises! The team has a lot of talent, and its games have some passionate supporters. Hopefully, these games will have a great opportunity to grow and succeed under the EA banner. EA Play Live is set to take place on July 22nd, so it's possible we could learn more about the developer's future plans very soon.

What do you think about EA's purchase of Codemasters? Are you a fan of the company's racing games? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!