Codemasters bosses exit developer following EA buyout Eurogamer.net If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy. Codemasters bosses exit developer following EA buyout Quick drop-off. News by Wesley Yin-Poole Deputy Editorial Director Updated on 7 Jul 2021 33 comments Codemasters CEO Frank Sagnier and CFO Rashid Varachia have left the developer following its acquisition by EA. EA told GamesIndustry.biz the pair's departure has "always been part of the plan", but was brought forward due to the speed of Codies' integration into EA. Watch on YouTube F1 developer Codemasters and Project Cars developer Slight Mad, which Codies bought in November 2019, are being made a part of EA Sports, which is publishing F1 2021 next week. SVP of product development Clive Moody and SVP of publishing Jonathan Bunney now lead Codies. Slightly Mad boss Ian Bell remains in charge of the London studio. Sagnier joined Codemasters in 2014 after a two-year stint as boss of French social and mobile game developer IsCool Entertainment. Varachia, who played a key role in Codemasters' listing on the stock market in 2018 and its integration with EA, exits after nine years at the company. Last year EA swooped in to buy British developer Codemasters for a hefty $1.2bn (£851m). EA boss Andrew Wilson subsequently explained he wants to give Codemasters the Respawn treatment: in other words, let the studio retain its identity without too much outside interference. Codemasters, of course, is known for racing franchises such as Grid, F1 and Dirt, and it seems EA plans to keep the developer busy. EA has said it aims to release a racing game every year, drawing from both the Codemasters portfolio and its own franchises such as Need for Speed, Burnout and Real Racing. Become a Eurogamer subscriber and get your first month for £1 Get your first month for £1 (normally £3.99) when you buy a Standard Eurogamer subscription. Enjoy ad-free browsing, merch discounts, our monthly letter from the editor, and show your support with a supporter-exclusive comment flair! Support us View supporter archive More News Google announces cloud gaming Chromebooks less than a fortnight after Stadia shutdown GeForce Now preinstalled. 3 Atari will hold RollerCoaster Tycoon rights for another decade Ups and downs. 7 Lady Dimitrescu will be a tad smaller in Resident Evil Village's Mercenaries DLC Level the playing field. 1 Overwatch 2 suffers another DDoS attack and character roster bugs Mei Mei. 13 Latest Articles Digital Foundry Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090: a new level in graphics performance The Digital Foundry video review - and how the new GPU champion delivers for 4K 120fps gaming. Google announces cloud gaming Chromebooks less than a fortnight after Stadia shutdown GeForce Now preinstalled. 3 Feature Evercore Heroes wants to wind people up the right way "There's less rage at them, because they didn't end your fun." Genshin Impact Path of Gleaming Jade dates, login event rewards Including other anniversary rewards and how to claim them. Supporters Only Premium only Off Topic: Take a minute to appreciate Cookin' with Coolio's incredible scallops recipe. What a great book. Premium only Off Topic: Reading City of Glass in comic form "Where exactly am I going?" Premium only Off Topic: Il Buco is a transporting film about a really big hole Underlands. Off-Topic Netflix handled Sandman brilliantly It was Dreamy. 9 Buy things with globes on them And other lovely Eurogamer merch in our official store! Explore our store