Following the news that Electronic Arts has abandoned the Project CARS series, the founder and former CEO of developer Slightly Mad Studios has aired his frustrations.
Launched in 2015, Project CARS was a worthy contender in the racing sim space, offering sparkly realistic graphics and a depth of detail in the simulation side of the game. Well, we're talking about the first two games there. The third was a shambles, swapping those cherished traits that made Project CARS what it was for an arcade angle and never really realising any of its newer ideas.
This guy replaced the actual steering wheel in his car with a Wii Wheel - check it out below!
"Today we announced internally an update to our racing portfolio," said Electronic Arts in a statement (cheers, GamesIndustry.biz). "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."
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"Decisions like these are very hard, but allow us to prioritise our focus in areas where we believe we have the strongest opportunity to create experiences that fans will love," continued the publisher, adding that it is supporting over 175 staff at Slightly Mad Studios with their transition to new positions.
Someone isn't so convinced, though, and that someone is Ian Bell. The founder and former CEO of Slightly Mad Studios criticised Electronic Arts in this Tweet:
"EA, keeping on being awesome... I said my bit and I stand by every word as they continue to prove them," he said. "How are those numbers (sorry I mean people, with hopes, dreams and families) looking, at the bottom of those the spreadsheets?"
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Bell has not showered Electronic Arts with compliments in the past, lambasting the publisher for a lack of transparency, accusations of trying to tank the developer, and added that it poached key staff from Slightly Mad Studios in an interview in 2017. However, Bell is currently contacting those who worked on Project CARS 2 to recruit them for the new GTR Revival game at his new company Mildly Annoyed Studios.
Topics: EA