Officials from British publisher and developer Codemasters have issued a statement expressing the company’s condolences at the death of world championship rally driver Colin McRae and his young son in a helicopter crash over the weekend.
Codemasters has worked with Colin McRae on the eponymous series of rally simulators since 1998, with the franchise having sold more than 9 million units across all formats. The early games featured McRae prominently, including a substantial amount of voiceover work.
The most recent game in the series was known as
Colin McRae: DiRT in Europe but omitted McRae’s name in North America, where he is less well known. Controversially, even the European version of the game did not feature McRae in the in-game presentation, with commentary instead provided by American driver Travis Pastrana. Codemasters has made no comment on whether future titles in the series will still carry McRae’s name in Europe.
Codemasters full statement on McRae’s death reads:
“Everyone at Codemasters, especially those who worked directly with Colin McRae, is deeply shocked and saddened by the tragic events of this weekend.
The loss of Colin McRae is deeply distressing. That it involved his son and another so young makes it even more tragic. Our thoughts are with his family and those closest to him and we share in their pain.
For over ten years, Colin was part of the Codemasters family and it was a privilege to have a man recognized as a true legend on the team. He always took a keen interest in the game experience, wanting to make sure it was without equal in its portrayal of the sport.
His contribution was inspirational and brought his technical expertise and passion for rally driving to each and every McRae game. Through the popularity of those games, he brought a whole new audience to the sport itself.
Codemasters’ relationship with Colin began through Jim, David and Richard Darling and their condolences, along with ours, are passed to Colin’s family. We are heavy of heart at his passing but we are also brimming with pride at knowing him and to have played a small role in his life.
He will never be forgotten by all at Codemasters.”
