Codemasters' exclusive F1 game contract extended to 2025

The company first secured the licence to produce F1 games in 2008, with its first title launching a year later.

Ever since then Codemasters had produced annual releases, and launched the first-ever F1 Esports series in 2017.

The latest Esports season boasts a $500,000 prize pool and the involvement of all 10 real-life F1 teams.

Alongside this, Codemasters has released several mobile games, as well as a one-off Mario-Kart style game - F1 Race Stars - in 2012.

This extension marks the longest-ever contract to hold the exclusive rights to make F1 games.

"We are delighted to be extending our long-term partnership with the pinnacle of motorsport," said Codemasters CEO Frank Sagnier.

"Both the sport and game franchise is going from strength to strength and the arrival of new platforms, business models and territories, combined with the rapid growth of the F1 Esports Series, give us a springboard to even greater success.

"I'd like to thank the team for the incredibly hard work they have put into this franchise over the last 10 years, and I look forward to seeing how they continue to innovate to surprise and delight our current players and bring new fans to the exciting world of Formula 1."

Codemasters' latest instalment - F1 2019 - is the first title to feature an officially-licensed Formula 2 season, alongside a host of classic cars.

Autosport says

Codemasters tenure making F1 games has been far from plain-sailing, but the success of the F1 Esports series alone proves why, at the very least, it deserved time to improve its product.

The current game's career mode is more realistic than ever, and it would have been a crying shame had the company not been given the chance to truly expand on this update.

With its sizeable classic car list and the addition of F2, F1 2019 is a solid foundation that - with this lengthy contract extension - can now be built on for many years to come.