THE BUZZ: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment will handle the distribution, sales and marketing of Codemasters games in North and South America, starting this year.

The company has decided to end its previous agreement with THQ, under which they launched DiRT 3 and F1 2011.

Warner Bros. will publish DiRT Showdown and F1 2012 this year for the U.K. company.

EGM’s TAKE: Considering that THQ has been struggling with financial issues over the last few months, almost being de-listed from the Nasdaq stock exchange and then cutting 240 jobs, it’s no surprise that Codemasters has opted for a new U.S. publisher. DiRT is a massive franchise and requires a solid backing to be successful, given Warner Bros. recent success it should be perfect for the job.