Layoffs hit F1 and Dirt developer Codemasters

Layoffs have hit UK racing game developer Codemasters, sources close to the studio tell Eurogamer.

Around 50 jobs are being reviewed, we've been told, with north of 30 of those jobs set to go as part of a 30 day consultation period. Around 500 people work at the company globally.
We've been told Codemasters' F1 team, based in the Birmingham office and currently working on a PlayStation 4 and Xbox One entry in the series, is unaffected, and so development on that game and other active projects continues.
A new Dirt game, in production at the Southam office, is safe, but it may not release when planned. Sources told Eurogamer Codemasters planned to announce the new Dirt soon with a view to an Early Access-style release in the middle of February, but the company has yet to secure car licenses, so this is currently unlikely.



The team behind the new Dirt has been downsized, though, with a smaller group working on the game compared to last year's Grid Autosport. One source pointed out that the new Dirt team has always been relatively small, however, with under 20 staff building the game compared to the 50 or so who made Grid Autosport.