Micro Machines World Series – Coming June 2017!

January 19th, 2017 by codemasters

They’re Micro. They’re Machines. And they’re BACK! We’re delighted to announce that legendary gaming franchise Micro Machines will be racing onto PCs and consoles this coming April! The new title, Micro Machines World Series, will be racing into stores this Spring – bringing massive amounts of miniature multiplayer mayhem to PlayStation® 4, Xbox One and Windows.

Micro Machines World Series will retain the manic social game play of the classic series, but will bring a new dimension to the experience with stunning HD visuals – taking you to the much-loved household environments as they’ve never been seen before.

As well as bringing to you the classic game modes like Race and Elimination, Micro Machines World Series will introduce a new style of game play to the series: Battle Mode. The all-new Battle Arenas will allow you to wreak mass destruction on a miniature scale against your friends or the AI. Meanwhile, Team Play lets you work together using your vehicles’ unique skills with modes such as ‘King of the Hill’ or ‘Capture the Flag’!

The game’s been designed around fun and frantic play at every turn, meaning there will never be a dull moment on the racetrack or in the arena. Micro Machines World Series is the ultimate pick-up-and-play experience for players of all ages and abilities, offering intuitive, easy-to-learn controls that make the controller impossible to put down.

Codemasters’ VP Publishing, Jonathan Bunney commented: “The original Micro Machines was a breakthrough multiplayer racing game and remains much loved in the gaming community. We saw great success last year with our free-to-play mobile game, but this brand new console title takes the franchise to its greatest levels of multiplayer mayhem and enables you to play with your friends on the same sofa or across the world.”

Bunney continued: “With the support of Hasbro and being able to feature some of their biggest brands, such as HUNGRY HUNGRY HIPPOS, G.I. JOE, OUIJA and NERF, this represents the very best of social gaming.” He also added that the game brings an “incredibly fun experience” to PCs and consoles, offering a breath of fresh air from the more serious multiplayer alternatives.

Releasing in June 2017, Micro Machines World Series will support up to 12 players online and four players on the same screen, across a variety of racing and battling environments. Each of the 12 vehicles has its own unique load-out of weapons and abilities and the game will launch with a massive range of customisation options.

Keep up-to-date with the latest news on the game over on Facebook and our Codemasters Blog.

Announcing: DiRT Rally PS VR

January 12th, 2017 by codemasters

We’re delighted to announce that we’ll be adding PlayStation VR support to DiRT Rally in the coming weeks!

That’s right – you’ll now be able to play the highest rated racing game on PlayStation 4* with PS VR. The upgrade, which will be available as DLC for existing players on the PlayStation Store, will also be available from retail with a new boxed version of DiRT Rally, which comes complete with the VR add-on.

The PS VR functionality will give you a fully immersive off-road experience, with the upgraded game supporting every car, every route and every discipline within DiRT Rally.

Interested? Well, good! Our new trailer for the PlayStation VR update is available here. Take a look and see what you think:

The update will put PlayStation VR users into the world of rally like never before, as they take on some of the most challenging rally stages and environments in the world. Not only this, but they’ll be able to take on a certain Colorado-based iconic Hill Climb, and try their hand at top-tier multi-car racing in the FIA World Rallycross Championship.

But that’s not all! As well as allowing you to drive any of the stunning Rally, Rallycross and Hillclimb cars in full VR, the update to DiRT Rally will enable a game-changing second player to join in on the fun. Using a DUALSHOCK 4® controller, the second player will take the on the role of co-driver – using the social screen to understand when to send calls to the driver using the DUALSHOCK 4 buttons and touchpad. Making those calls at the right time will be the difference between the driver hearing the correct information at the right time, so it’s crucial that this is executed properly.

*Figures from Metacritic: http://www.metacritic.com/browse/games/genre/metascore/racing/ps4

F1™ 2016 – out now on Android

December 1st, 2016 by codemasters

We’re very happy to announce that F1™ 2016, the only official mobile game of the 2016 FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP™, is now available on the Google Play Store, giving those of you who are Android users the chance to recreate the whole season, including the tense finale at the 2016 FORMULA 1 ETIHAD AIRWAYS ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX!

Following the recent chart-topping success for iPhone, iPad and AppleTV, F1 2016 is now available on the Android platform, and features all of the official content, stunning visuals, multiple game modes and pick up and play controls, perfect for gaming on the move or at home. Head here if you want to purchase F1 2016 for Android on the Google Play Store. You can watch our launch trailer on Android below, or click here, if you’d prefer to watch it on YouTube.

All 21 of the official FORMULA ONE^TM circuits from the 2016 season, including the thrilling new BAKU CITY CIRCUIT and icons of the sport such as CIRCUIT DE SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, CIRCUIT DE MONACO and SILVERSTONE CIRCUIT, are faithfully recreated in unprecedented detail on a mobile device, and are all available in quick race, full season, custom season or time trial.

Race as one of the world’s best drivers including MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team’s Lewis Hamilton, Scuderia Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen, McLaren-Honda’s Fernando Alonso, Sahara Force India F1 Team’s Sergio Perez and many more, with 22 of the world’s greatest drivers and all of the 11 teams from the 2016 season represented.

• Watch the F1 2016 Mobile launch trailer here.
• Purchase F1 2016 for Android here, priced at £7.99/€9.99/$9.99.
• Purchase F1 2016 for iOS and tvOS here, priced at £7.99/€9.99/$9.99.
• Does not contain in-app purchases.

Ian Flatt, Executive Producer of the FORMULA ONE videogames at Codemasters, commented: “Following the great success of F1 2016 on the iOS and tvOS platforms, both in terms of user feedback and chart position, we are delighted to be bringing the same fantastic experience to Android users. This version of F1 2016 has been developed specifically for mobile devices but continues to deliver a console quality experience in terms of gameplay and graphics. Every car model and every circuit has been optimised from the full console game to ensure the highest quality experience, and we have pushed the technology to the absolute limits. Whether you want a quick race on your favourite circuit or an entire season of races containing practice sessions, qualifying and full length race sessions, it has been designed for playing on the go with flexible game modes that allow you to get straight into the action. The F1 2016 mobile game is great to play whether you are commuting, waiting for friends or sat at home on the sofa.

“There are four different control schemes as well as a full suite of driver assists and in game options that let you create the experience that suits you,” continued Ian. “Whether you are new to racing games or have been playing them for years, you can find your ideal gameplay experience in F1 2016.”

F1 2016 on Android is available on handsets that meet, or are above, the minimum specification listed below:

• OS: Android 5.0 (Lollipop) or greater
• Memory: 2GB RAM
• GPU: Open GL ES 3.1 required
• CPU: Quad Core at least 1.9Ghz
• Screen: 1920 x 1080 resolution minimum supported

Follow Codemasters F1 games blog and social channels on Twitter and Facebook for future news, YouTube for the launch trailer, and visit the product website for additional information.

F1™ 2016 – out now on iOS!

November 11th, 2016 by codemasters

F1 2016, the official mobile game of the 2016 FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP™, is available now on the App Store, enabling you to race as the world’s greatest drivers wherever and whenever you want to play. A Universal Purchase app that runs on iPhone, iPad and AppleTV, F1 2016 features stunning visuals, multiple game modes and pick up and play controls, perfect for gaming on the move or at home. A new launch trailer has also been released, which you can see below:

All 21 of the official FORMULA ONE™ circuits from the 2016 season, including the thrilling new BAKU CITY CIRCUIT and icons of the sport such as CIRCUIT DE SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, CIRCUIT DE MONACO and SILVERSTONE CIRCUIT, are faithfully recreated in unprecedented detail on a mobile device, and are all available in quick race, full season, custom season or time trial.

Race as one of the world’s best drivers including MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team’s Lewis Hamilton, Scuderia Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen, McLaren-Honda’s Fernando Alonso, Sahara Force India F1 Team’s Sergio Perez and many more, with 22 of the world’s greatest drivers and all of the 11 teams from the 2016 season represented.

Ian Flatt, Executive Producer of the FORMULA ONE videogames at Codemasters, commented: “This version of F1 2016 has been developed specifically for mobile devices but continues to deliver a console quality experience in terms of gameplay and graphics. Every car model and every circuit has been optimised from the full console game to ensure the highest quality experience, and we have pushed the technology to the absolute limits. Whether you want a quick race on your favourite circuit or an entire season of races containing practice sessions, qualifying and full length race sessions, it has been designed for playing on the go with flexible game modes that allow you to get straight into the action. The F1 2016 mobile game is great to play whether you are commuting, waiting for friends or sat at home on the sofa.

“There are four different control schemes as well as a full suite of driver assists and in game options that let you create the experience that suits you,” continued Ian.

“Whether you are new to racing games or have been playing them for years, you can find your ideal gameplay experience in F1 2016.”

Developed in partnership with Exient, F1 2016 harnesses the cutting edge technology of the A10 chip, combined with Metal, to make the gameplay even faster and smoother on the newest Apple devices. This allows the game to render 1.4 million polygons on-screen while also applying an array of console-level post-processing effects and multi-sampling anti-aliasing. These effects include depth of field, motion blur, vignette, chromatic aberration and colour grading. This all adds up to provide an unparalleled level of visual fidelity and immersion, never before seen within a FORMULA 1™ videogame on any mobile device.

While the game runs on all iOS 9 and iOS 10 devices, owners of the new iPhone 7 and the new iPhone 7 Plus will benefit from the iPhone 7’s Taptic engine to provide haptic feedback, at the same time as delivering stereo audio (driven by the 3D environment) through the iPhone 7’s dual-speaker setup.

The App can be purchased from here. An Android version of F1 2016 will launch in the coming weeks.

Follow Codemasters F1 games blog and social channels on Twitter and Facebook for future news, YouTube for video content.

Micro Machines – out now on Android!

September 27th, 2016 by codemasters

Yes, that’s right – the hottest mobile game just landed on Android! Today we announced the launch of Micro Machines for Google Play. Codemasters’ legendary small-scale multiplayer game makes its debut on the Google Play Store with the same classic thrills and laughs of the original toy-based series, in this exciting all-new combat racer.

Game Features

• Miniaturized, multiplayer combative racing fun across 10 tracks of tabletops, desks, pool tables and kitchen sinks.
• Three race modes including a brand new, fan favourite, ‘Battle Mode’, make the game accessible and fun for everyone!
• Collect and play with over 60 unique vehicles at launch for added variety!
• More than 60 weapon modifications from flame throwers to shrink rays.
• Experience the nostalgia of the original 90s classic rendered for today’s mobile devices at 60 frames per second!
• Truly social at its core with PvP experiences so there’s constant thrills and actions.
• Blast other players with NERF blasters in battle arenas!
• More exciting content coming soon featuring popular Hasbro brands!

DOWNLOAD NOW!: http://smarturl.it/socialcodemasters

F1™ 2016 is out now

August 18th, 2016 by codemasters

F1™ 2016, the official videogame of the 2016 FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP™, is now available in stores worldwide for PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, Xbox One and Windows PC (DVD). We’re celebrating by releasing our launch trailer, which you can view below, or on the official YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/formula1game.

Featuring all of the official teams, drivers and circuits from this thrilling 2016 season, we’re very happy to tell you that F1 2016 boasts the most extensive Career Mode ever seen in the franchise. Stretching for up to ten seasons, you’ll be able to Create Your Own Legend, working with your Research and Development Engineer and Agent to get the most out of your time in FORMULA ONE™.

With action both on and off the track, we believe that F1 2016 is the most complete FORMULA ONE experience we’ve ever created. For the first time you’ll experience the pre-race tension of the Formation Lap, before the drama of manual starts. During the racing the iconic Safety Car makes a return and is complemented by the new Virtual Safety Car.

For the first time in the franchise, you’ll also be able to edit your field of view on not just the offset t-cam, but the t-cam as well across all platforms. This means you’ll be able to adjust the field of view to exactly how you’d like in F1 2016.

Online, F1 2016 has support for up to 22 players, allowing you to create full grids of human players. The brand new Multiplayer Championship Mode will also allow up to 22 players to compete against each other over the course of a season. You’ll be able to race together as team mates or battle it out as different teams.

In our saveable Multiplayer Championships, the host will be able to remove drivers, or substitute one driver for another. AI drivers are optional as well. Not only that, but you’ll also be able to quit and resume in between any session.

This will be the first time that you’ll be able to race the thrilling Baku street circuit, the home of the 2016 FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX OF EUROPE, and drive for the new US-based Haas F1 Team.

Available now, F1 2016 Limited Edition includes the ‘CAREER BOOSTER’ DLC PACK, which will give players a head start in their career as well as exclusive Career Helmet and Laptop designs.

Finally, a big massive thank you to everyone who’s helped us – those who’ve supported us throughout, from our surveys, to testing in March and beyond, our beta testers, and everyone who’s given feedback to us. F1 2016 has been a fantastic journey so far, thank you for taking it with us.

Micro Machines – out now on iOS!

July 14th, 2016 by codemasters

The legendary small-scale multiplayer game returns with the classic thrills and laughs of the original toy-based series, in this exciting all-new combat racer from Codemasters! Leading independent mobile games publisher, Chillingo, has today announced the worldwide launch of fan favourite Micro Machines. Yes, that’s right – Micro Machine is back! Did we mention, it’s free to download too? Head over to the App Store and download it now!

The game will feature a lot of cool new stuff, which has never been seen before in the Micro Machines franchise. Here’s just a sample of what’s on offer:

• Four player, miniaturized, combative racing fun across 10 tracks of tabletops, desks, pool tables and kitchen sinks.
• Collect and play with over 60 vehicles at launch.
• Three race modes and 60+ weapon modifications from flame throwers to shrink rays.
• The opportunity to relive the nostalgia of the original games – but rendered for today’s mobile devices at 60 frames per second!
• A game that’s truly social at its core, with PvP experiences so there’s constant thrills and actions.
• Blast other players with Nerf blasters in battle arenas!

And that’s not all, either! After the game launches, there will be new content coming to the game over the coming months – including exciting content featuring other popular Hasbro brands. Don’t miss out on the Micro mayhem – download the game today and get involved!

New F1™ 2016 trailer revealed, plus more features announced

July 8th, 2016 by codemasters

Today, we’re very happy to reveal that F1 206, the official videogame of the 2016 FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP™, will take you deeper into the sport than ever before with 22 player online racing, and the introduction of features such as the Formation Lap and manual starts.

We’re taking you to the next level by replicating the real world sport like never before with the Formation Lap appearing for the first time, allowing you to experience the height of the pre-race tension and warm your tyres in preparation for the all-important start.

Alongside the previously announced Safety Car and Virtual Safety Car, F1 2016 will also include manual race starts. You’ll need to engage your clutch and balance your revs, as you wait for the lights to go out. Your reaction time is vital here, as you risk a jump start, or getting stuck on the grid as the anti-stall engages.

You’ll also be able to have manual control over your pit lane entry and braking, so you can look to minimising the time lost when putting. You’ll also need to brake in time to avoid a penalty for speeding in the pit lane, which is also a feature included in F1 2016, along with a new five second pit stop penalty.

We talked to Principal Games Designer Lee Mather about this:

“We strive to create a game that is as close to the actual sport as possible. We have listened to the feedback from our community and that has resulted in us introducing the Safety Car, Virtual Safety Car, Formation Lap, manual race starts and the host of other gameplay features that get us even closer to the real sport and add to the experience for the player.

“Increasing the multiplayer support to 22 players was extremely important to us,” added Lee. “We want to be able to fill the whole grid with human players to create those great race moments and stories. It also provides greater support for online leagues.”

With multiplayer support for up to 22 drivers, you can form a full grid of human players across the 21 circuits featured in the 2016 FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, including the tight Baku street circuit, the latest addition to the calendar.

This is alongside our previously announced career mode in single player, where you’re able to create your own legend in the expansive Career Mode which stretches for up to ten seasons and includes drama both on and off the track.

First F1™ 2016 video revealed, release date announced

June 16th, 2016 by codemasters

Today, we’re delighted to have released the first gameplay video for F1 2016, the official videogame of the 2016 FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP™, showcasing Daniel Ricciardo and Jolyon Palmer taking on the thrilling Baku street circuit which will host the 2016 FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX OF EUROPE. We’ve also announced that F1 2016 will release onto PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, Xbox One and Windows PC (DVD) on 19th August 2016.

The video shows the two F1 pilots getting to grips with the new circuit, giving their impressions on the track and its challenges as they go. The historic city centre, beautiful seaside promenade and impressive architecture all combine to provide the perfect backdrop to the new track.

Speaking about his experience, Daniel commented: “I can’t think of anything like Baku… For the corners it looks like you want to have maximum downforce but I don’t think you can afford to run it because of the long straight. I think we will have to sacrifice some grip in the corners to keep up on the straight.”

Talking about Baku’s soon-to-be famous Turn 5, Jolyon Palmer added: “There’s some crazy corners and maybe the craziest there is in Formula One, with the up-the-hill left and then straight into a blind right hander… It’s going to be easy to hit a wall. It’s very high speed. The challenge is huge!” Jolyon also said that practising on the new circuit in the new F1 2016 videogame ahead of the race makes him feel as though he understands the  circuit “…probably more than most others, maybe everyone in the field so, it’s going to give me a little advantage.”

Both Daniel’s and Jolyon’s laps have also been released as separate videos.

We’ve also announced that there will be a Limited Edition of the game to pre-order which includes the F1 2016 ‘CAREER BOOSTER’ DLC PACK, which will give players a head start in their F1 career. It gives the user a ‘Research and Development boost’ that applies a percentage increase to all research and development credits earned by the player in each session in the new career mode. Exclusive Career Helmet and Laptop designs are also included. Once the player has selected their choice for their career helmet, this design is then applied to the laptop located within the Career hub.

F1 2016 features the most in-depth career mode ever seen in the series, allowing players to create their own legend over the course of ten seasons dealing with life and drama both on and off the track. The recreation of the sport will be enhanced by the addition of the sport’s iconic Safety Car and Virtual Safety Car and also includes the new American Haas F1 Team. A number of yet to be announced features are also due to be unveiled in the coming weeks.

Follow Codemasters F1 games blog and social channels on Twitter and Facebook for future updates.

F1™ 2016 to come to PS4, XBOX ONE and PC this summer

May 27th, 2016 by codemasters

Codemasters®  today announced that F1™ 2016, the official videogame of the 2016 FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP™, will include the most immersive career mode ever featured in the franchise. F1 2016 will release onto PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, Xbox One and Windows PC (DVD and via Steam) this summer.

F1 2016’s new career mode will take gamers deeper into the world’s most glamorous, exciting and prestigious motorsport, both on and off the track. The life-like recreation of the sport will be further enhanced by the addition of the sport’s iconic Safety Car and Virtual Safety Car, as well as the introduction of the challenging new street circuit in Baku, Azerbaijan for the 2016 FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX OF EUROPE.

“F1 2016 is a massive step forward for the franchise”, said Lee Mather, Principal Games Designer at Codemasters. “The new career mode sits at the heart of the game and allows gamers to create their own legend over a career that can span for up to a massive ten seasons. Beyond improving upon the fastest and most thrilling on-track racing experience in gaming, F1 2016 uniquely offers the drama and vehicle development that goes on behind the scenes. A rich car upgrade system is fully integrated into a new and deep practice development programme which mirrors the tests carried out by the teams in real life.”

Mather continued: “The career mode, together with the re-introduction of the Safety Car, the first inclusion of the Virtual Safety Car and a number of other unannounced improvements means that F1 2016 will have more new features than any other year of the franchise.”

In the new career mode players select an avatar to represent them within the game world as well as choosing a number to take with them through their career. They are then free to choose from any of the FORMULA ONE teams, all with different goals and expectations. It may be more challenging to start further down the grid, but it will also be easier to exceed team expectations. Players can earn contracts and move from team to team, or choose to develop their favourite team into a championship contender.

To complement the on-track experience, and to expand the realism of the Career mode, F1 2016 includes stunning hospitality areas for each team that act as the player’s game hub. In this area they will work with their Research and Development Engineer and Player Agent to develop their progress both on and off the track. To further enhance the immersion, players will also be able to spot other key figures from the paddock within the hospitality areas.

In what is already a very exciting season, the 2016 season sees Azerbaijan become the latest addition to the FORMULA ONE calendar, with capital city Baku playing host to what could very well be the fastest street circuit of the season. Early screenshots show off the new time of day editor which allows players to dramatically customise the visuals of the race experience. The brand-new Haas F1 Team makes their debut in the 2016 FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, and in the process become the first all-American-led F1 team in three decades.

Follow Codemasters F1 games blog and social channels on Twitter and Facebook for future updates. Further details will be released on the upcoming game soon.