The EA declares that the Project Cars series will no longer be made. The developer transferred to another department

Electronic Arts (hereinafter referred to as EA) has decided to suspend the development of the Project Cars series by Slightly Mad Studios. Gamesindustry.biz reports.

Project Cars is a race simulation game series. Project Cars 3 is being distributed to PC and console as the latest number of numbering. Project Cars Go, a mobile work, was also distributed. The characteristics of the series include racing conditions and customization elements of cars, and many real cars and circuits appear. Slightly Mad Studios was acquired by Code masters in 2019. And Code masters was acquired by EA in 2021.

According to Gamesindustry.biz, EA has decided to suspend the development of the Project Cars series. According to EA's spokeswoman, the staff who were working on this series has moved to other departments of the EA as appropriately as possible. It is said that it can be placed on the development team of the EA SPORTS and the company's race game series. The priority is to provide as much staff members as possible.

EA Public Relations also states in the company's race game series that it is focusing on the development of open-world live service games in which real cars that require licensing appear. The decision has made it possible to focus on the development of such games.

The first Project Cars sells more than 2 million. It would be nice to say that it is a popular series. However, the latest work, Project Cars 3, has a cheerful metascore and STEAM review compared to past works. It was a little stuck. The EA also has multiple IPs such as NEED for Speed and F1, DIRT and GRID series by Code masters. To avoid competition with such a series, the EA may have decided to suspend the development of the Project Cars series. However, the official statement of Resource Adjustment for Live Service Game Development is a matter of telling the background to some extent.

Slightly Mad Studios once wrote racing games such as EA's NEED FOR SPEED: Shift and its sequel Shift 2: UNLEASHED. Each race game, its developer, was a rival and a friend. It is a sad ending that becoming a large company family and the elimination of one of the newly developed developments.

Ian Bell, the founder of Slightly Mad Studios, resigned as a CEO in the studio last October. He claimed that the agreement in the development of Shift 3 was unilaterally canceled to the EA. He also stated that he had been pulled out of major staff, and showed a critical attitude against the EA. However, as a result, the studio was a member of the EA with the parent company Code masters.

Bell left a comment that the studio's future was guaranteed when he resigned. It is probably because he has become an EA umbrella in an unwilling form, but the studio has a funding backing. After the development of the Project Cars series, and the report of the studio staff transfer, he criticized the EA ironic. He states that the staff's intentions and lives are ignored, and that they are judging only by numbers.

By the way, Project Cars and Project Cars 2 were closed in October and September, respectively. The reason for the end of the distribution was reported to be for the end of the license for the vehicle type and circuit.

[Update 2022/11/09 11:45] Added to Ian Bell