First, Activision complained that other studios had been poaching their talent, now Codemasters is claiming a similar fate has befallen them by new studio Playground Games, which is being run by an ex-Codemaster chief.

The Codies are unhappy about this turn of events because they claim that these ex-employees who are now at Playground had access to Codemasters trade secrets and confidential information that they claim the new start-up studio is using to get a head start on the development of a rumored new racing title. As anyone knows, the Codies are best known for their racing titles like the Dirt franchise and the Grid franchise.

Nicholas Wheelwright, who was an ex-Codemasters chief, is also said to have used influence to lure fifteen prized developers from Codemasters; exactly how he was able to entice them to switch teams to Playground Games is unclear.

Codemasters is seeking damages and claims the company has suffered because of Playground’s poaching of their talent. Unlike Activision and its battle with Respawn, this situation might lack some of the grand drama, but still has all of the ugliness. Of course, it is going to take some time to get settled, so we suggest that you buckle your seat belt for the long haul on this one, as well.

Currently Codemasters is hard at work on a new FPS title headed by Stewart Black who used to work at Criterion and its first Formula One title for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. It is expected that Codemasters will firm up their plans as to when these upcoming titles will be released. It is also rumored that Dirt 3 has just entered development, plus rumors still suggest that the studio is planning another title for the Grid franchise, as well.