Codemasters Brings Formula 1 to the Browser, Free to Play

Codemasters Online has confirmed that it is working on a new Formula 1 based video game that will be online based and free to play, with a new team with the headquarters in Warwickshire, United Kingdom set to be in charge of initial development of the title and then in maintaining it and delivering more content.

The game does not yet have an official name, but Codemasters says that it plans to make it very accessible to all those who are interested in the Big Circus, with the focus on the experience of driving the car around well-known circuits.

The game will offer deep gameplay and will have persistent characters for all those who sign up, with the basic level of play free and microtransactions offered for all those who are interested in getting more content and a more complex experience.

David Solari, who is the vice president and general manager at Codemasters Online, has stated when the new game was announced that, “Formula 1 is incredibly popular in many countries around the world, particularly in countries where online gaming is either already big or rapidly growing such as India, Brazil, Korea and China, the potential is clear. We have proven F1 is a major games brand and what we have planned will build upon that.”

The game is still in its initial stages of development, with Codemasters still advertising several positions in its new team, suggesting that the game could probably only arrive in late 2011 or early next year.

Codemasters is also already working on a new early installment for its main Formula 1 game, set to arrive on gaming consoles and on the PC later in the year.

The publishers has already said that it aims to do for the racing series the same that EA Sports has done for FIFA, with yearly installments that refine certain aspects of the game experience.