Codemasters backs big four

Codemasters will invest millions in promoting its four big releases this year.

This will include an investment of 1m each on Operation Flashpoint: Red River and Dirt 3, which are due to arrive in April and May respectively.

Scheduled for April 21st, Red River is the firm’s first release of 2011 and follows on from the success of the 2009 FPS Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising.

Marketing for this title will include a TV ad directed by Generation Kill director Simon Cellan Jones.

Dirt 3 will be released a month later on May 24th, continuing the popular rally series formerly known as Colin McRae. The 1m spent on this title will include TV and cinema advertising.

Summer will see the release of Codemasters’ newest IP: the over-the-top FPS Bodycount.

Finally, the publisher will round off the year with F1 2011 towards Q4 – the firm’s first release on 3DS and NGP.

This line-up comes as Codemasters shifts its publishing focus towards more select titles.

Our ethos is to invest in products and to plan over the long term,” Codies’ EMEA VP of publishing Jeremy Wigmore told MCV. We want to develop fewer but better titles and that requires investment.”

To read the full interview with Jeremy Wigmore, click here.