EA Sports has confirmed it is pausing development plans for future rally game titles, stating they have concluded their work on the WRC series. The recently released Hard Chargers DLC for EA Sports WRC marks the final content addition for the game.
As a result of this decision, an unspecified number of employees have been laid off at Codemasters, the studio responsible for both the WRC and F1 game franchises. Other staff members have been reassigned to various ongoing projects within EA Sports.
Electronic Arts acquired the British developer Codemasters in 2021 following a competitive bidding process that also involved Take-Two Interactive. Both publishers were particularly interested in the acquisition primarily due to Codemasters holding the official license for developing F1 games.
Codemasters possesses a significant history in creating rally games, which culminated in the release of the officially licensed WRC game in 2023. While the game received multiple updates and DLCs, its commercial performance appears to have fallen short of EA`s expectations. Amidst recent financial challenges, EA is implementing cost reductions across numerous divisions. The layoffs at Codemasters and the discontinuation of WRC development align with similar measures recently taken at other EA-owned studios, such as Respawn Entertainment.
Despite the halt in new content development, EA Sports WRC will remain available for purchase and play for new players.
Callum Darby 
Finley Holt