Codemasters Group Holdings PLC (LON:CDM) has released its F1 2020 video game for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC and Google Stadia.
The game developer said the release is “one of the highest-scoring games of 2020” according to aggregator site Metacritic, averaging 91% on Xbox, 89% on PC and 86% on PlayStation 4.
READ: Codemasters reveals higher revenue and profit amid digital sales boost
Codemasters said F1 2020 includes two new race circuits, a new driver manager feature called My Team, improved on-track options and the reintroduction of split-screen capabilities.
The group also said the Deluxe Schumacher Edition of the game will feature four additional cars, car liveries, race equipment and an exclusive podium emote.
"We have been overwhelmed with the response from both the media and our players. My Team has been 10 years in the making, and it's been worth the wait. With the revised F1 2020 season starting last weekend, the stars have aligned, and both the sport and videogame are back in the spotlight where they belong", said Codemasters chief executive Frank Sagnier.
In a note on Friday, analysts at Liberum reiterated their ‘buy’ rating and 390p price target on Codemasters, saying that with exposure to the F1 video game franchise having been boosted through a replacement Esports series which ran from March to June while the physical season was suspended due the coronavirus they expected “spiking player trends to translate into strong initial sales” for the game.
“Overall we forecast £40mln of revenues to be derived from the F1 franchise in [the 2021 financial year], contributing to an increasingly busy pipeline of releases in the year”, Liberum added.
Fellow broker Shore Capital also said they expected that the delayed F1 season, which has restarted just ahead of the game’s release date, “will create greater interest from consumers for both Codemasters and F1 2020”.
Shares in the company jumped 2.9% to 337.5p in early deals.