Before then, EA will release Need for Speed: Unbound on December 2. Speaking of Electronic Arts, the publisher is currently preparing for a heavy slate of games next quarter that includes Dead Space, Wild Hearts, EA Sports PGA Tour, and Star Wars Jedi Survivor. It's not clear how many people are working at the studio these days, but EA reassures fans that 'everyone impacted' by the shutdown will be transferred to other EA studios. The cancellation explains why we haven't heard news of a Dirt 6 game lately.Īt the time of Codemasters' buyout, Slightly Mad Studios had a staff of 150 employees. Dirt and Grid developer Codemasters have purchased Slightly Mad Studios, who developed the. Unfortunately, the statement by the EA spokesperson effectively confirms Need for Speed: Unbound will have in-game purchases and microtransactions. Codemasters Has Acquired Project CARS Developer Slightly Mad Studios. Given that these two are some of Need for Speed's biggest competitors, it makes a lot of sense for EA to 'consolidate' assets and effectively force gamers to spend money on Need for Speed. It's worth noting that Codemasters purchased Slightly Mad Studios, the developers of the Dirt and F1 racing games, two years earlier in 2019.

You could say that the writing was already on the proverbial wall as soon as Electronic Arts bought Codemasters for $1.2 billion last year.

The cancelation of both Project CARS and DIRT franchises makes for unfortunate news but it's far from unexpected. According to, an EA spokesperson revealed that the company has decided to shut down Project CARS to focus on games that are 'socially-led with long-term live services.' On a similar note, a different employee revealed that EA is also canceling the Dirt franchise. Project CARS 2, on the other hand, will allow you to apply some fancy decals, but that’s about it.

Dirt 4 vs project cars 2