With EA currently in the process of cinching in the deal, it seems Codemasters is all but confirmed to be joining the company's stable of major game studios, standing alongside the likes of BioWare, DICE, and Respawn Entertainment. Unless the major video game publisher itself pulls out of the transaction, it will gain access to a number of significant franchises, with Codemasters having worked on some seminal racing names over the years.

With such a strong list of IPs slated to enter its roster, Electronic Arts apparently has some big plans to utilize them to the fullest, revealing in a Q3 financial report that it plans to release a new racing game every year. The strategy has allegedly been made possible due to now owning such a diverse range of driving franchises, claiming in the presentation that they "will enable EA to release new racing experiences annually."

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As for what EA will own through the upcoming acquisition, Codemasters currently has six different owned and licensed racing IPs within its roster. It currently boasts F1, which is a yearly franchise based on Formula 1 motorsport; WRC, which is based on world rallying; Project Cars, which is a standard track racing game; and Grid, which also offers track-based racing gameplay. Its most notable franchises are likely Dirt and Dirt Rally, however, with the most recent addition to the off-road racing pair, Dirt 5, releasing last year. It's also currently working on a mobile adaptation of Project Cars known as Project Cars Go.

According to EA, these various racing staples will be mixed in with the company's already established IPs, those being Burnout, Need for Speed, and Real Racing. The publisher hopes the combination of such a wide variety of driving games will make it "a global leader in racing entertainment," delivering frequent, high-quality releases to the genre's biggest fans. Aside from the likes of Forza and Gran Turismo, it seems EA currently has some of racing's biggest and most esteemed franchises assembled under its roof.

Outside of its ambitious new investment in the racing market, EA was very active yesterday, revealing more about the upcoming Mass Effect: Legendary Edition. Through several trailers and slices of press coverage, the company unveiled one of the most impressive remasters in recent years, claiming Mass Effect 1, 2, and 3 will feature major visual enhancements, a universal character creator spread across all three games, and several overhauled systems. The title will be coming to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC this May, bringing the iconic sci-fi RPGs to current consoles after years of requests.

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Source: EA