EA has announced the first game from Codemasters since it bought the racing specialist earlier this year. F1 2021 is coming to PlayStation 4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and Steam on July 16th.
A new story mode makes its debut, too, called Braking Point. Players will start off as a Formula 2 driver and compete to earn a spot with the big dogs in Formula 1. Real rivalries take place, and players will get a taste of the drama on and off the track.
There’s also a bigger and better Career mode that will make navigating the 2021 Formula One season more fun this year. Play with a friend as a team working together, or you can play out your own Red Bull Racing versus Mercedes AMG Petronas conflict. Every player will control their own team’s assets and can begin at any point of the Formula 1 season with real-time driver and constructor standings.
Two-player split-screen play is also back, and Codemasters and EA Sports say loading times have been improved, leaving even more time for wheel-to-wheel racing.
You’ll get three new circuits for free as part of Codemasters’ post-launch roadmap. Several aspects from previous games will return, including My Team, two-player splitscreen, esports features and shorter season options. The PS5 and Xbox Series X/S versions will offer improved visuals and zippier load times, with free upgrades from the PS4 and Xbox One editions.
EA closed its $1.2 billion takeover of Codemasters in February after outbidding Take-Two Interactive, but, of course, F1 2021 was in development long before then. EA plans to release at least one racing game per year going forward, as it now owns the Dirt, Grid and Project Cars franchises on top of Need for Speed and Burnout.
Racing fans might have to make do with F1 2021 this year, however. EA delayed the next Need for Speed game by a year to focus on the next Battlefield.
