This is a huge setback for those who were looking forward to playing Project CARS in the future. It’s really too bad that they’re cutting back on development and investment because this could have been one of the best racing games.
Electronic Arts have announced that they are stopping “further development and investment” into Project CARS. The news came as quite a shock to many gamers who enjoyed racing games like Need For Speed or Burnout Paradise but were not interested in playing something more simulation-based such as was offered by this new IP from developer Slightly Mad Studios.
In a recent GamesIndustry.biz article, Electronic Arts spokesperson stated:
Today we announced internally an update to our racing portfolio. Following an evaluation of the next Project CARS title and its longer-term growth potential, we have made the decision to stop further development and investment for the franchise.
Decisions like these are very hard, but allow us to prioritize our focus in areas where we believe we have the strongest opportunity to create experiences that fans will love. We are focusing on our strengths in our racing portfolio, particularly licensed IP and open-world experiences, and expanding our franchises to be more socially-led with long-term live services that will engage global communities. Games are at the heart of sports and racing entertainment, and with shifting fan expectations, we recognize the need to evolve our games beyond pure play, providing experiences for fans to also watch, create and connect with their friends
We are working with everyone impacted by this decision to place them into suitable roles across our EA Sports and racing portfolio, as well as other parts of EA, wherever we can. Our priority now is on providing as much support as possible to our people through this transition.
Project CARS was first launched in 2015, and then continued its legacy in 2017 with a sequel. Project CARS 3 arrived in 2020 with a slightly worse reception than its predecessors, and after EA’s acquisition of Codemasters, it’s now meeting a complete stop. Project CARS 4 is not going to see a bright day, as other racing IPs are already beyond the scope of success in comparison to this franchise.
