Project Cars series put on ice by EA

EA is cancelling the Project Cars racing series, a new report has revealed.

Published earlier today on November 8, the new report from GamesIndustry.biz reveals EA internally announced to developers that it would be ceasing work on the Project Cars series. The report writes that it's unclear when developers working on the series would be affected, but EA will attempt to move all developers on the series to "suitable roles."

The cancellation of the racing series comes after EA's 2021 acquisition of Codemasters, which in turn owns Project Cars developer Slightly Mad Studios. GamesIndustry.biz reports that since acquiring the studio, EA deemed Project Cars as a series unlikely to either find further success or fit in with the company's racing games portfolio.

Prior to the publication's report, EA confirmed the change to GamesIndustry.biz, stating that it had "made the decision to stop further development and investment for the franchise." When purchasing Codemasters, EA revealed the acquisition would allow it to develop "annual racing games," which is where many of the affected developers may well be heading internally. 

"Today we announced internally an update to our racing portfolio," EA's full statement on Project Cars begins. "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 prioritise our focus in areas where we believe we have the strongest opportunity to create experiences that fans will love," the publisher continues. "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 recognise the need to evolve our games beyond pure play, providing experiences for fans to also watch, create and connect with their friends," EA concludes.

Project Cars originally launched in 2015, with Project Cars 2 arriving two years later in 2017. Project Cars 3 was eventually released in 2020, but struggled to find a dedicated audience amid mixed reviews. All three games in the racing series were actually published by Bandai Namco, prior to parent company Codemasters being acquired by EA in 2021.

Earlier this year, Codemasters announced the first two games in the franchise would be delisted from all digital platforms at some point in 2022, due to expiring track licenses that wouldn't be renewed.

Check out our guide to the best racing games if you've got the need for speed.