EA cancels the Project Cars series
"Decisions like these are very hard," says EA.
Slightly Mad Studios' Project Cars is no more, it has been revealed, with EA confirming its decision to "stop further development and investment" in the racing series.
The news was revealed by our partner site GamesIndustry.biz, and it sees an end to a series that debuted in 2015 - though one whose roots go back much further as a crowdfunded project brought to life by its community.
Bandai Namco went on to publish the first three games in the series, with Project Cars 3 releasing in 2020 - several months after EA had acquired Slightly Mad Studios as part of its takeover of Codemasters.
EA provided a statement to GamesIndustry.biz going into detail on its decision, and what's next for those who were working on the series:
"Today we announced internally an update to our racing portfolio. Following an evaluation of the next Project CARS title and its longer-term growth potential, we have made the decision to stop further development and investment for the franchise.
"Decisions like these are very hard, but allow us to prioritise our focus in areas where we believe we have the strongest opportunity to create experiences that fans will love. We are focusing on our strengths in our racing portfolio, particularly licensed IP and open-world experiences, and expanding our franchises to be more socially-led with long-term live services that will engage global communities.
"We are working with everyone impacted by this decision to place them into suitable roles across our EA Sports and racing portfolio, as well as other parts of EA, wherever we can. Our priority now is on providing as much support as possible to our people through this transition."
Slightly Mad Studios had 150 employees at the time of EA's acquisition, GamesIndustry.biz reports. Ian Bell, who founded the studio in 2009, left the company late last year.