The move will put Codemaster’s racing games under the same umbrella as EA's Need for Speed, Burnout, and mobile-focused Real Racing.  The only thing that prevents the move giving EA the monopoly on that sort of game, is console exclusives like Microsoft's Forza Motorsport and Sony's Gran Turismo.

Analysts have noted that the acquisition reflects a continuing trend toward consolidation among the game industry's biggest publishers. The acquisition would also likely make Codemaster's current and future titles part of the EA Play subscription service and, by extension, part of Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

Codemasters goes back to the days of the ZX Spectrum and Commodore 64, with titles like Micro Machines and the Dizzy platform-adventure series that were especially popular in the UK.

The two companies said that the combination of Codemasters and Electronic Arts will enable the development and delivery of a market-leading portfolio of creative and exciting racing games and content to more platforms and more players around the world.

Codemasters Chairman Gerhard Florin said: “Electronic Arts and Codemasters have a shared ambition to lead the video game racing category. The Board of Codemasters firmly believes the company would benefit from EA's knowledge, resources and extensive global scale -- both overall and specifically within the racing sector. We feel this union would provide an exciting and prosperous future for Codemasters, allowing our teams to create, launch and service bigger and better games to an extremely passionate audience."