Electronic Arts (EA), developer of major titles such as FIFA and Need For Speed, is about to buy the company behind the franchises Formula 1 and Dirt: Codemasters. For some time now, the studio has been negotiating with several publishers to secure an acquisition, and has already received a significant proposal from another major publisher. Take-Two Interactive, owner of the GTA and Red Dead Redemption franchises, made a substantial offer to acquire Codemasters. However, that deal came to an end after EA presented a more lucrative offer: the amount of US$ 1.2 billion. Given this, according to VGC, Codemasters directors Ian Bell, Frank Sagnier, and Rashid Varachiav were in favor of EA's proposal, claiming that this decision is a "binding agreement". Therefore, Codemasters cannot accept any other offer, even if it is higher than EA's offer. If all goes well, EA intends to close the deal during the first quarter of 2021. The Codemasters team worked on two well-received games last year, the F1 2020 released in July and  Dirt 5, in November. With the agreement being positive, the studio will continue developing racing games, based on EA's statement that Codemasters will help the company "lead a new era of racing entertainment". Source: Gamerant