Vault Entry
[📷 suggested: Codemasters logo collage with Dizzy and BMX Simulator art]
Overview
Founded by brothers Richard and David Darling after stints at Mastertronic, Codemasters specialised in affordable games that felt richer than their £1.99 price tag. They turned bedroom coders into household names and later graduated to console blockbusters.
Fast facts
- Breakout: Dizzy: The Ultimate Cartoon Adventure (1987) from the Oliver Twins.
- Speciality: budget-priced hits across home micros, later evolving into Codemasters’ console series like Micro Machines and Colin McRae Rally.
- Distribution: mail order plus supermarket and newsagent chains, using bold cover art to stand out on rotating racks.
Lesson connections
- BASIC Block 3’s state tracking references Dizzy’s item puzzles.
- Block 5’s scrolling lessons discuss Codemasters racing titles as case studies.
- Transition and Assembly courses explore how Codemasters encouraged hybrid BASIC/assembly workflows for rapid releases.
Legacy
Codemasters survived the 8-bit crash, grew into a AAA studio, and in 2021 joined Electronic Arts. Their path from budget upstart to global publisher mirrors the journey many learners will trace from BASIC experiments to professional craft.