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woeds · May 9, 2008

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/67228

Formula One is to have its first official computer game in more than two years next season following the capture of a new official licencing deal with British gaming company Codemasters, autosport.com can reveal.

With Sony having published the most recent official F1 game last summer, based on the 2006 season and available only on PlayStation consoles, Codemasters' deal will see F1 return to a multiformat platform for the first time in many years.

The game is set to be available on all major home consoles, as well as handheld and PC gaming formats.

After weeks of discussion between Codemasters and Formula One Administration, it is anticipated that the company will produce the first game next year, based on the 2009 F1 season. This will be the first game that Lewis Hamilton will appear in.

Rod Cousens, chief executive officers of Codemasters, said: "Formula One is ambitious in expanding its reach with more circuits planned beyond recent additions in the Middle East and China. It is also ambitious in expanding its reach via technology.

"The digital communities that computer and video gaming creates will play a key role in further growing the F1 audience and connecting them globally.

"As a world-leading creator of driving games, this alliance with F1 is the jewel in Codemasters' racing crown and creates an undisputed segment champion."

Chris Denning, chairman of Codemasters, added: "Codemasters' success and recent innovations in the racing game space makes the company more than appropriately tuned for the challenge.

"The combination of F1's new momentum of expansion and Codemasters' contemporary technology and past experience is the breaking of a new dawn for the sport, on the track and on the HD game screen."

Codemasters Studios has already begun preparations for the major task of creating the new game, by strengthening their team with personnel from the now defunct Sega Racing Studio.

There are 350 people working on the project, which will be based on the EGO Engine that Codemasters has put to good use on the Colin McRae: DIRT and soon-to-be-released Race Driver: GRID titles.

Yes! Yes! Yes!
I was afraid that EA was going to get the license again, this is great. I have a lot more faith in Codemasters with their previous racegame experience.

IzumiK · May 9, 2008

It's going to be on everything?

2020 release confirmed.

sinnergy · May 9, 2008

Bloom + brown == win!

Router · May 9, 2008

This thread wins by 3 minutes I guess.

pn18 · May 9, 2008

After yesterday's GRID demo, I'm sure this could turn out to be pretty decent.

SIP YEK NOD · May 9, 2008

There are 350 people working on the project, which will be based on the EGO Engine that Codemasters has put to good use on the Colin McRae: DIRT and soon-to-be-released Race Driver: GRID titles.

After playing the GRID demo, i will stick with F1CE.

Router · May 9, 2008

Copypasta from the other thread...

router said:
Here comes the bitching.

Wollan · May 9, 2008

Codemaster love racing games.

Koshiro · May 9, 2008

I thought the evil EA had secured the license? I am so confused.

Router · May 9, 2008

Wollan said:
Codemaster love racing games.

Codemasters love money.

*EDIT*
The also love spending it. I would hate to think exactly how much they had to pay to secure the license.

Keio · May 9, 2008

Great news - I think DIRT was good and I yet have to try the GRID demo.

If they manage to get at least some of the Toca 2 feeling to the game, I'm finally back to F1 after a loooong (what, 8 years?) break.

BrokenSymmetry · May 9, 2008

It will be interesting to see how Codemasters handles the driving model for this game. F1 attracts both very casual and very hardcore fans, and the huge license sums involved means they need to reach an as large as possible audience. My guess is they will try to reach both audiences by going the Forza route of using driving assists (including racing lines) to make it very easy for casual players, but also have true simulation modes included.

sinnergy · May 9, 2008

SIP YEK NOD said:
After playing the GRID demo, i will stick with F1CE.

So and how do you know this game will suck?

Fanboyism at it's finniest... :lol

Router · May 9, 2008

At the very least its going to look great.

amar212 · May 9, 2008

If they continue to stick with Central Pivot Point as in GRID, it's going to suck a bit.. But othervise - great news!

Router said:
I would hate to think exactly how much they had to pay to secure the license.

Sony rejected Berine's "offer" of +15 million dollars PER SEASON for the licence. So, that's the price I guess.

http://www.planet-f1.com/story/0,18954,3213_3492883,00.html

Zyzyxxz · May 9, 2008

wow good news

sinnergy · May 9, 2008

amar212 said:
If they continue to stick with Central Pivot Point as in GRID, it's going to suck a bit.. But othervise - great news!

Sony rejected Berine's "offer" of 15 million euros for the licence. So, that's the price I guess.

So you think we will be sliding around the tracks with F1 cars?

chickensoup · May 9, 2008

Wollan said:
Codemaster love racing games.

Shame they're no good at making them any more. The last couple of Race Driver games haven't been very inspiring.

Haunted · May 9, 2008

Fucking finally.

mr_bishiuk · May 9, 2008

Great News

SIP YEK NOD · May 9, 2008

sinnergy said:
So and how do you know this game will suck?

Fanboyism at it's finniest... :lol

fanboyism? fanboyism of what? i see codemasters release 2 games on the same engine with mediocre physics, and BLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM, and its wrong to assume this game won't smash that trend and turn out spectacular?

F1 CE is an absoultely awesome game, i can't see codemasters out-doing it judging by their current efforts.

amar212 · May 9, 2008

sinnergy said:
So you think we will be sliding around the tracks with F1 cars?

I wouldn't call it sliding - it's just not natural to drive with central pivot as a turning point.

You can't even do a propper 360 that way, at tleast with the wheel. Must admit I didn't bother to try GRID with controller. But, having central pivot point for turning point is very bad in terms of simulational physics.

GRID would be 5 times better and "simulational" if the turning point would be on the spot where axle is infact pushing the car towards turn. Central Pivot was something that games had long time ago, when you just didn't have resources to calculate movement for every wheel and corresponding mechanic that affects movement-physics.

So, my hopes goes to true turning point for F1 game - and all other Codemasters driving games in future.

SolidSnakex · May 9, 2008

So what the hell is EA going to do with their Lewis Hamilton license? Put him in NFS?

Ahriman · May 9, 2008

sinnergy said:
So you think we will be sliding around the tracks with F1 cars?

Ironically, that may be somewhat fitting, since 2009 is the season of massively reduced downforce in F1. Doesn't change the fact that Codemasters' current physics model is absolute shit though.

Troidal · May 9, 2008

Not to rag on the physics since I liked DiRT, but turning corners in their F1 games would probably be insanely hard :lol

Wax Free Vanilla · May 9, 2008

I would have taken an EA F1 game over a Codemasters one.

Based on how the single seaters handle in GRID and Race Driver 3, the game will suck.

Forsete · May 9, 2008

Wow, sucktacular news. Hello shoddy physics.

Tim the Wiz · May 9, 2008

Excellent. I've always enjoyed their TOCA/V8 Supercar games.

Raide · May 9, 2008

I wonder what Codemasters will bring to the F1 games then? Codemasters have had success with the Toca series and Dirt did really well also. I am really glad that Sony did not renew the licence, not because I am a fanboy, I am glad because it means other formats get to play F1 games at last. :lol

Tempy · May 9, 2008

Didn't try GRID, but while DiRT was quite pretty I disliked the central pivot physics. Hopefully they'll change this for the F1 game.

Personally I'm looking for a more arcadey F1 experience.

SolidSnakex · May 9, 2008

Tempy said:
Personally I'm looking for a more arcadey F1 experience.

If GRID and DIRT are anything to go by then this should be right up your alley. It'll be interesting to see how F1 forums react to this though. They're about as picky with details as it comes.

herod · May 9, 2008

I have horrible premonitions of 'hilarious' CGI pit bustups between your driver and his mechanic.

Stop It · May 9, 2008

Ok Codies, redeem yourselves please, F1 is a SERIOUS franchise, you know you can make a decent racing sim (See Race Driver 1, 2 and 3), now go off and prove that you still have it.

For the record, I have played the GRID demo and to put it mildly, I wanted to punch someone after I played it.

Tempy said:
Personally I'm looking for a more arcadey F1 experience.

Codies, for the love of god, DO NOT FUCKING LISTEN TO SHIT LIKE THIS.

acm2000 · May 9, 2008

the TOCA team will be making this i assume, and race driver already had F1 style cars, and that series is fucking amazing, much fun, i have high hopes for this

shame its not out till next year tho

Visualante · May 9, 2008

Codemasters are such big players now. Major respect for them picking this up, I'll be playing.

Forsete said:
Wow, sucktacular news. Hello shoddy physics.

C+

f@luS · May 9, 2008

acm2000 said:
the TOCA team will be making this i assume, and race driver already had F1 style cars, and that series is fucking amazing, much fun, i have high hopes for this shame its not out till next year tho

there is still a toca team?
we may see one of the few sequel beein' worst than the predecessor

Wax Free Vanilla · May 9, 2008

acm2000 said:
the TOCA team will be making this i assume, and race driver already had F1 style cars, and that series is fucking amazing, much fun, i have high hopes for this shame its not out till next year tho

Yeah, they had Formula One cars from the Williams team in Race Driver 3 and the handling was atrocious.

Codemasters getting the F1 license is the worst racing game related news of all time.

acm2000 · May 9, 2008

Wax Free Vanilla said:
Yeah, they had Formula One cars from the Williams team in Race Driver 3 and the handling was atrocious.

Codemasters getting the F1 license is the worst racing game related news of all time.

its better than EA getting it and making BURNOUT:F1, and better than Sony keeping it since now everyone gets a version, codies have a proven track record of making great racing games, its not gonna be a hardcore sim, because it would sell 4 copies

RiverBed · May 9, 2008

which will be based on the EGO Engine that Codemasters has put to good use on the Colin McRae: DIRT and soon-to-be-released Race Driver: GRID titles.

wasn't the engine called Neon- which Sony helped create with Edge?

acm2000 · May 9, 2008

RiverBed said:
wasn't the engine called Neon- which Sony helped create with Edge?

NEON was the original one, EGO is the new version

itxaka · May 9, 2008

Wax Free Vanilla said:
Codemasters getting the F1 license is the worst racing game related news of all time.

This.

its better than EA getting it and making BURNOUT:F1

At least Burnout is more playable than the last codemaster racing games.

EA will have keep it as a formula one. They already got the need for speed series for arcade racing, they needed a simulator.

Burai · May 9, 2008

This is great news. There is so much potential at Codemasters for decent racers with them having just rescued Sega Racing Studios.

It's never going to be a hardcore racing sim, but then it wasn't when it was with Sony and it certainly wouldn't have been with EA either.

Brosa · May 9, 2008

SolidSnakex said:
So what the hell is EA going to do with their Lewis Hamilton license? Put him in NFS?

Never forget...

Wax Free Vanilla · May 9, 2008

acm2000 said:
its better than EA getting it and making BURNOUT:F1, and better than Sony keeping it since now everyone gets a version, codies have a proven track record of making great racing games, its not gonna be a hardcore sim, because it would sell 4 copies

No it's not.

EA in the past has shown that it can produce enjoyable single seater racing physics. Codies on the other hand have continuously failed since they introduced single seat racing cars in TOCA Touring Cars 2. The console version for me is a non-start, and I can only hope the PC version is mod friendly, so the REAL F1 fans can go to work on it.

Forsete · May 9, 2008

Visualante said:
C+

For what? Truth-scale? Thats A+ at least, AT LEAST.

Hammer24 · May 9, 2008

Burai said:
There is so much potential at Codemasters for decent racers with them having just rescued Sega Racing Studios.

This is exactly, why this is great news.

Mr. Pointy · May 9, 2008

Put SRS to work on this.

Kafel · May 9, 2008

YES YES YES

Visualante · May 9, 2008

Eurogamer says it's the GRID team.

Totobeni · May 9, 2008

-so mr peter moore was lying , Sony didn't renew the license , why he said that ? he think he still with MS or something ?

- how in hell can codemasters pay $15 mil per year for the license but not EA ?

- Dirt/Grid Engine ? srsly ? Epic Fail , for $15 million at least make a new fucking Engine that let us actually handel the freaking cars .

- Lewis Hamilton is exclusive for EA right ? so can they still put him in this game ? not that i care or something .

-2009 season ? what ?? i guess it will be released mid season next year then .

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