Codemasters
Racing game specialists
Notable Games
Company History
Codemasters was a British video game developer and publisher founded in 1986 by David Darling and Richard Darling in Southam, Warwickshire, England. The Darling brothers were teenage programming prodigies who had already been developing games before founding the company. Codemasters initially made a name for itself in the 8-bit home computer market, producing budget-priced games for platforms like the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, and Amstrad CPC. The company gained early notoriety for its Game Genie device, a cartridge-based cheat system for the NES and other consoles developed in partnership with Camerica and Galoob, which led to a landmark legal battle with Nintendo.
The case (Lewis Galoob Toys, Inc. v. ) went to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which ruled in 1992 that the Game Genie did not create derivative works because it did not incorporate any fixed portion of the original games' code. This landmark decision established important precedents for consumer modification rights and fair use in the gaming industry.
Throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s, Codemasters established itself as a prolific publisher of affordable games, with the Dizzy series of adventure games becoming one of their most beloved franchises. The egg-shaped character Dizzy, created by the Oliver Twins (Andrew and Philip Oliver), became an iconic figure in British gaming culture, starring in over a dozen titles between 1987 and 1993. As the industry transitioned to 3D gaming in the mid-1990s, Codemasters pivoted toward racing games and found tremendous success. The company developed the Micro Machines series, which became a multiplayer classic, and later established the TOCA Touring Car Championship series.
The early 2000s saw Codemasters acquire the official Formula One racing game license, producing a series of well-received titles. The company further cemented its racing game dominance with the Colin McRae Rally series, which evolved into the DiRT franchise, and the critically acclaimed GRID series. By the 2010s, Codemasters was widely regarded as the premier racing game developer in the world, with the F1 series becoming an annual tentpole release. DiRT Rally earned praise as one of the most authentic rally racing simulations ever created.
The EGO engine, Codemasters' proprietary game engine, became one of the most capable racing game engines in the industry, powering titles across the DiRT, GRID, and F1 franchises. 2 billion, integrating the studio into EA's racing game portfolio alongside the Need for Speed franchise.
Behind the Scenes
The development philosophy at Codemasters underwent a dramatic transformation over its 35-year history, evolving from a scrappy budget game producer into the world's foremost racing game specialist. In the company's early years, the Darling brothers cultivated a culture of rapid, cost-effective development, churning out titles at an impressive rate for the 8-bit computer market. Codemasters' most commercially significant early franchise was Micro Machines, which demonstrated their ability to create accessible, fun racing experiences. Rather than cracking the NES 10NES encryption for their unlicensed games, their engineers devised a voltage spike method that would temporarily stun the lockout chip in the console, causing it to fail open and allow the unlicensed cartridge to boot.
This approach was implemented in the Aladdin Deck Enhancer, a pass-through device that contained the bypass circuitry. The technical elegance of this solution demonstrated the engineering talent within Codemasters' ranks. The Oliver Twins, who created the Dizzy series while still teenagers, exemplified the young, creative talent that Codemasters attracted. The company's transition to racing games was driven by several key factors: the rise of 3D gaming technology that made realistic vehicle simulation possible, and a recognition that the racing genre offered consistent commercial potential.
Colin McRae Rally (1998) set new standards for rally racing simulation. The acquisition of the official F1 license in 2008 was transformative, giving Codemasters access to one of the world's most prestigious motorsport brands. Under the creative leadership of figures like racing game veteran Ralph Fulton, the company developed increasingly sophisticated physics engines and visual technologies. The Neon engine, developed in-house for their racing titles, and its successor the EGO engine powered DiRT, GRID, and F1 titles with advanced features including real-time global illumination, physically-based rendering, and sophisticated vehicle dynamics simulation.
The F1 games required Codemasters to build and maintain relationships with Formula 1 teams, drivers, and the FIA, ensuring that every car livery, circuit layout, and regulation change was accurately reflected each season. The studio's approach to racing game design balanced simulation accuracy with accessibility, using extensive player telemetry data to tune difficulty curves, assist systems, and AI behavior. This acquisition brought an end to Codemasters' independence but ensured the continuation of its racing game legacy under the EA Sports banner, with the studios continuing to operate from Southam, Birmingham, Kuala Lumpur, and Pune.
About Codemasters
Codemasters is a merged game development company founded on January 1, 1986 and headquartered in .
Known for creating iconic titles such as DiRT Rally, F1 2020, GRID and more, Codemasters has left an indelible mark on the video game industry.