Codemasters, Epic join ESA

The Entertainment Software Association has announced that Codemasters and Epic Games have become the latest publishers to join the organisation.

The ESA, which represents US computer and videogame publishers, now has 29 members. Its ongoing efforts include a global anti-piracy program, business and consumer research, government relations and intellectual property protection efforts.

"As our output diversifies, we are reaching an ever widening consumer base and that's particularly evident in North America where Codemasters, Inc. is now the group's fastest growing division," said Geoff Mulligan, Codemasters' president of North American publishing.

Prior to joining Codemasters, Mulligan was COO of Konami Digital Entertainment and a founding member of the ESA.

"With that growth comes responsibility to the market and its organisations. Having been part of the creation of the ESA, it continues to be an organisation whose work holds particular importance and relevance today and I am proud to have Codemasters join its membership."

Joining Codemasters in the ESA is Epic Games, headquartered in Cary, North Carolina.

"As an independent game developer and pioneer in enabling game mods and user-created content with the Unreal Engine, we look forward to bringing our unique views on balancing intellectual property rights and user freedoms to the ESA," said Epic's chairman and CEO, Tim Sweeney.