EA Sports WRC Is No More—Taking with It the Heritage of Dirt and Colin McRae Rally

      Electronic Arts

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      What was initially seen as an ideal partnership for rally enthusiasts and gamers has come to an end. EA Sports WRC, created by the same Codemasters team behind the Dirt series, will no longer receive support. The Hard Chargers content pack, released in late March, featuring new vehicles and stages, will be the game’s final expansion.

      “For now, we are pausing development plans for future rally titles,” a message posted on the game's official website stated on Wednesday. "However, EA SPORTS WRC will remain available for both existing and new players. We hope it continues to bring joy, excitement, and the thrill of rally racing. We’ve dedicated ourselves to creating it for the fans, and we trust that you will keep the enthusiasm alive."

      EA Sports WRC was launched in October 2023, representing Codemasters’ first rally game after being acquired by Electronic Arts in 2021. It was also the first time that the previous Dirt Rally team had complete access to the official World Rally Championship license. At its debut, it received mixed reviews; the developers transitioned from the well-known Ego engine, which had been the foundation for all of Codies’ rally games since the original Dirt in 2007, to Unreal Engine, which led to several issues.

      This switch was reportedly made to accommodate longer stages and larger environments, but it resulted in a noticeable visual downgrade along with significant performance problems at launch. Games made with Unreal Engine on PC often experience a problem gamers refer to as “stuttering,” for various technical reasons that won't be elaborated here, making EA WRC a frustrating experience on the first day, regardless of your machine's specifications.

      Codemasters addressed those initial issues over time and continued to support the game until last month with new content, adding to the extensive roster of tracks and cars. Late last year, a significant expansion titled EA Sports WRC 24 was launched, introducing new cars, teams, drivers, and rallies from the World Rally Championship.

      Despite this, it can be said that the creators of Colin McRae Rally and Dirt, utilizing their decades of experience in rally games for an official WRC title, never made the impact one might have anticipated a decade ago. Codies secured the exclusive WRC license in 2020, just before EA acquired them. A planned sequel to Dirt Rally 2.0 evolved into what ultimately became EA WRC. EA’s contract with the FIA is reportedly valid until 2027; considering today’s announcement indicates “we are pausing development plans for future rally titles,” it appears that both parties must either reach an agreement for EA to relinquish the license or we shouldn't expect any new WRC games for the next two and a half years.

      Interestingly, the official WRC Instagram account also shared a message alongside today’s news, stating that “our WRC gaming franchise is taking an ambitious new direction, with more news coming soon.” It’s possible the license may change hands before 2027, and the sport might have a contingency plan for its digital presence. We will have to wait for more information.

      Long Live Codemasters Rallying

      What is evident is that, for the time being, the rich legacy of Codemasters rally games has come to a close. It began with Colin McRae Rally for the original PlayStation in 1998. Colin McRae Rally 2.0 was a benchmark for its time, offering top-notch physics, visuals, and artistry that truly pushed the limits of Sony's console. The series continued on the PlayStation 2 and Xbox with Colin McRae Rally 3—my first experience with the franchise—and saw annual releases until Colin McRae Rally 2005, which many long-term fans still regard as the pinnacle of the series.

      With the arrival of the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, Colin McRae Rally evolved into Dirt, an off-road racing game that diversified beyond a sole focus on rallying. While it was less realistic than earlier installments, it served as a spectacular showcase for the new hardware generation, featuring stunning motion blur, lighting effects, and detailed damage modeling. Dirt 2 capitalized on rallying’s growing popularity as an extreme sport, particularly in North America, with endorsements and participation from legends like Ken Block and Travis Pastrana, following the sudden and tragic death of McRae in 2007. Dirt 3 raised the stakes even further, and over the last decade, the brand was reimagined into Dirt Rally, emphasizing simulation.

      This news will surely be difficult for long-time fans of the developer to accept, but it is unfortunately not surprising at all. EA acquired Codemasters four years ago primarily for its Formula 1 license; since then, it has significantly reduced the teams at the racing game studio focusing on projects outside of F1. The teams responsible for Dirt 5, Grid Legends, and now EA