If you ever played Papyrus’ seminal Grand Prix Legends then you’ve read his name. Rich began working as a tester on NASCAR Racing (1994) and was with Papyrus at the end. In this interview, published in 2022, we discuss his time at the legendary studio and the design of Grand Prix Legends, including initial feelings of hurt at not being asked to join iRacing.
Video game development is rarely about one man, but if it was, then Terence Groening should certainly get a mention for his contributions to the genre as the man responsible for the physics of Sportscar GT, EA’s PC F1 and NASCAR games of the early 2000’s, rFactor, rFactor 2 and every title and rFpro simulator that spawned from ISI’s engine.
This interview with RSC details his early life and career, through to him joining iRacing in 2021.
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Codemasters, F1 And WRC Franchise Developers, Suffer Layoffs Under Shadow Of EA’s $5.753B Profit In Last 12 Months
Tim Wheatley - Dev News | Dec 4, 2023
2 CommentsAlthough not yet announced in any financial documents it appears that IGN were notified they would be happening, contacted EA, and a letter was returned confirming layoffs at Codemasters, developers of the licensed F1 and WRC franchises. There is no official word on how many employees will be losing their jobs… Merry Christmas.
“Our business is constantly changing as we strive to deliver amazing games and services that keep our players engaged, connected, and inspired,” an EA spokesperson said. “At times, this requires the company to make small-scale organizational changes that align our teams and resources to meet evolving business needs and priorities. We continue to work closely with those affected by these changes, providing appropriate support throughout this process.”
Electronic Arts gross profit for the twelve months ending September 30, 2023 was $5.753B, a 5.39% increase year-over-year.
EA purchased Codemasters in February, 2021, and within months had lost their CEO and CFO then within the next year removed the entire back catalogue of F1 titles from Steam, removed Project Cars and Project Cars 2 from Steam, removed DiRT Rally from Steam, killed off Project Cars 4 and Slightly Mad Studios, released F1 22 and F1 23 with significant issues and most recently EA Sports WRC with just as many. While I am sure the core Codemasters team was largely unchanged under EA since 2021, it really does seem like the overall quality and availability of the delivered product has gone downhill in many ways that actually matter to consumers.
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