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Codemasters snags Formula 1 licence News
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Robert Purchese
Codemasters has picked up the rights to the Formula 1 licence that Sony used to command.
Its internal Race Driver: GRID team will set to work on creating games based on the IP for multiple platforms, with the first titles expected next year.
Central to the master plan is harnessing the online community in something called Formula 1 Online, as well as putting all the real-life drivers, courses, teams and cars in.
"As a world-leading creator of driving games, this alliance with Formula 1 is the jewel in Codemasters' racing crown and creates an undisputed segment champion," said Codemasters trouser-wearer Rod Cousens.
"Formula 1 has gone with the best, the segment leader. It has gone to the home of the EGO Engine for quality; it has gone to the company that can host Formula 1 Online, to the company that is streaking away from the pack."
Both Sony Europe and Codemasters were unable to shed any more light on the deal.
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BadBoyBonner
09/05/08 @ 09:16
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Excellent news - as far as the rendering goes (Grid looks very nice and gives a good sensation of speed) - hope the driving technique of F1 is handled well.
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FlamingCarrot
09/05/08 @ 09:18
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Fantastic news! It will never hit the GP4 / Geoff Crammond heights IMHO but great news for F1 fans.
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dieseljunkie
09/05/08 @ 09:18
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I would have preferred Polyphony Digital for the Formula 1 license. Maybe in a year or two, when GT5 is out and damge and weather models implemented, they will be able to do a proper Formula 1 game. Would be a dream come true.
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FlamingCarrot
09/05/08 @ 09:20
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Polyphony would make it too clinical. GT5 is technically excellent but is totally without a soul. Now Grand Prix Legends had the works...
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"Formula 1 has gone with the best, the segment leader. It has gone to the home of the EGO Engine for quality; it has gone to the company that can host Formula 1 Online, to the company that is streaking away from the pack. It has gone to the company that offered to meet the price of Max Mosleys 5 stripper weekend."
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I'm almost enthused... problem is, I've just tried the Race: Grid demo and the handling on that is still the same classic Codies balance of being too twitchy on turn-in and too floaty for the rest of the corner. The most important thing about an F1 game is decent handling so I hope they get it right!
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most recently on 09/05/08 @ 10:26
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Nice I like F1 racers, and I have to say Grid is pretty good Codemasters. Your F1 game will never beat Nigel Mansell's Grand Prix though.......
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=cITHSHT_YRw |
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Der_tolle_Emil
09/05/08 @ 09:30
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Well finally! I have become a big F1 fan watching pretty much every race nowadays but there aren't any good F1 games (on the 360). Might be the next best thing after Forza 2 for my wheel.
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FlamingCarrot
09/05/08 @ 09:33
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There haven't been any good F1 games for years. At least Codemasters have made some excellent racing games. I still think TOCA2 was a benchmark when it came to racing sims.
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mossychops001
09/05/08 @ 09:43
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Its good news it going multiplatform, but lets not forget the good work the SCEE Liverpool Studios has done...
It’s also Sad that Bernie Ecclestone is such a short arsed money grabbing Twat. |
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alimokrane
09/05/08 @ 09:49
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Wow Codemasters is really going at it in terms of racing games. they acquired the Sega Rally studio, now the formula one license .... I bet MS or Sony will be going after the compnay pretty soon!
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Hopefully we'll have a game with SPA Francorchamps. The best track in F1 has been missing for some time. I'm going to the race there this year ;-)
Playing GRID last night makes me optimistic about this title. Sony did a good job, but it was getting stale. Looks like Bernie is in the process of playing musical chairs with all his licensees and watching the money roll in. |
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mossychops001
09/05/08 @ 09:57
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Glad EA did not get it. But didn't they do a deal with Lewis Hamition to do a F1 game anyway?
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monkie_king
09/05/08 @ 10:04
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I was just playing Vroom a few weeks ago. It's still fast, but not so pretty. I'd forgotten that great thing where you rear-end someone at speed and go flying up and over them.
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"but lets not forget the good work the SCEE Liverpool Studios has done..."
I agree. The PS3 game was exellent. May not have next-gen flashy graphics, but it's was smooth, solid 60fps and great gameplay. Had hoped Liverpool Studios would follow it up with a more fleshed out version, but at least Codemasters got the license and not EA :) "I look forward to the American commentary." Nooo... don't even joke about that :(
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most recently on 09/05/08 @ 11:17
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Studio Liverpool's last F1 game was far better than anything Codemasters have produced on current consoles so I'd have preferred to see them to continue building on that.
That said, a fresh approach might rejuvinate things and given that F1 isn't popular in the US they may not make it awful and dumbed down and they may go back to their TOCA roots. |
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HyperShadow
09/05/08 @ 10:27
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Awesome news.
I thought Codies had sorted the centre pivoting with Colin Macrae 04? Not that it matters though, centre pivoting forced me to in-car or roll bar cameras where it doesn't matter and the experience is just as awesome. |
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themorganator
09/05/08 @ 10:54
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@Valver
"For gods sake PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE don't make the F1 cars pivot from the middle, like pretty much every other damn driving game you've released has :(" I couldn't agree more. |
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secret_player
09/05/08 @ 10:57
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the centre pivoting thing is just a myth, it only looks like it due to the way the chase cam works
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ligurmatic
09/05/08 @ 11:44
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The Americans don't give two hoots about F1, so hopefully Codemasters will realise this and make the game for the actual audience and not ruin it in the hopes of gaining more sales.
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BadBoyBonner
09/05/08 @ 12:22
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Except it probably won't be called F1 Racing. Will probably be called something like Race Driver: Griddle - "the racings so hot, it'll leave you with scorch marks - Griddle from Codemasters coming this fall!"
Glad Polyphony didn't get the license - otherwise we'd have been waiting 4 years for a demo we had to pay for and 6 years for the actual game! lol |
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At last! The future of F1 games has been resolved! Personally I'm sad that Studio Liverpool were not able to continue from the superb F1:CE, but at least they showed the potential and I hope Codemasters use that as a template.
The problem Codemasters face though is that F1 is often seen as a niche market. F1 games traditionally do bad in reviews because they are usually reviewed by numpty's that do not understand the sport - I saw countless reviews of 70%-odd for F1CE, which had an F1 fan reviewed it to would have got 85%-90% easy! Really excited by this. Deforming tyre barriers (Dirt and Grid do...!), 2009 stats, updated quali rules, NIGHT racing (that should look rather good!), return of Spa-Francorchamps, supposedly 20 races next year, so, at least 20 tracks... Bring it on! |
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Agent_Llama
09/05/08 @ 12:43
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Generally good news - would have preferred it to have gone back to Bizarre or to Polyphony I think but overall happy. Would have been nice to see another Studio Liverpool version as Championship Edition was their best F1 game by a mile, and last season was brilliant, *so* deserving of a game.
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