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Need for Speed developer Criterion Games will mostly focus on Battlefield going forward
The majority of EA's Criterion Games studio will now focus on Battlefield. A "core group" will continue to work on Need for Speed.
'Need for Speed Unbound' revives the racing series on December 2nd
'Need for Speed Unbound' is bringing back EA's street racing series on December 2nd, and it'll include A$AP Rocky in the bargain.
EA delays the next Need for Speed to focus on Battlefield
Criterion Games is helping out with the next Battlefield game, which is due out in the fall.
'Need For Speed Hot Pursuit Remastered' arrives on November 6th
The game will land on Switch a week after it hits PC, PS4 and Xbox One.
'Burnout Paradise Remastered' hits Switch on June 19th
The open-world racing game will cost $50 on Nintendo Switch.
'Burnout Paradise Remastered' is coming to Switch later this year
Two years after its debut on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, Burnout Paradise Remastered is making its way to Nintendo Switch. The company announced the port, among many other upcoming games, during a surprise Direct Mini presentation today. Like the 2018 release, the Switch version will bundle together the original game and its eight main expansion packs, including the "Big Surf Island" DLC that expands the game world.
The next Need for Speed game will be made by Burnout creator Criterion
Need for Speed fans, rejoice: Electronic Arts (EA) is giving the long-running racing franchise back to Criterion Games. "With a strong history and passion for racing games and vision for what we can create, the Criterion team is going to take Need for Speed into the next-generation," an EA spokesperson told Gamesindustry.biz. Criterion is a Guildford-based developer that worked on the critically-acclaimed Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit (2010) and Need for Speed: Most Wanted (2012). The studio was also responsible for the breakneck and destruction-focused Burnout franchise, including the open-world (and recently remastered) Burnout Paradise.
Revisit 'Burnout: Paradise' for free on Xbox next month
Xbox's Games With Gold subscription service has come a long way. At the start of the generation, Games With Gold offered very few AAA titles, its game lineups paling in comparison to Sony's PlayStation Plus counterpart. Over the last couple of years however, Microsoft's service has seen a very noticeable rise in quality.
'Dangerous Golf' is a crazy game from the creators of 'Burnout'
The co-founders of Criterion Games, Fiona Sperry and Alex Ward, left the EA-owned property last year to start their own company. We now know that venture as Three Fields Entertainment, which today is introducing its first game ever: Dangerous Golf. As the name suggests, it isn't your average take on a sports title, with a story that lets you create chaos on over 100 holes across four different locations -- all insane in their own right.
EA shows Criterion's new first-person racer with all kinds of vehicles [Update]
At today's E3 conference, EA gave us a first look at the new game in development at the new-look Criterion Games. Going by what we saw, it's focused on first-person racing across a wide range of vehicles, taking in everything from jetskis to paragliding, and helicopters to snowmobiles. There's no name yet for the Burnout studio's new game, which isn't a shock because it's only in a prototype stage. Criterion said it's been inspired by extreme real-life videos shot first-person, and the British studio hopes to channel that through first-person racing - "We're not ever going to take you out of that," said one of the developers - with the idea being to provide that sense of really being on the vehicle. The game also looked like it might be an open-world affair, something that should prick the ears of Burnout Paradise fans. Update: Check out Criterion Games' presentation at E3 for yourself in the video above.
Need for Speed takes a break, returning in 2015
After 13 years of annual releases, EA has decided to take a more restrained approach to the next Need for Speed, a game that CEO Andrew Wilson believes will debut in 2015. Wilson broke the news during an EA conference call earlier today. "Ghost Games in Gothenburg is working on an innovative new chapter of this storied franchise," Wilson said. "We've planned an extended development window to ensure we're delivering a high-quality experience for Need for Speed players next year." Though Wilson offers no specific reason for this change of development pace, Need for Speed Rivals developer Ghost Games suffered a round of layoffs only three months ago, affecting both long-time Ghost Games employees, and those who EA shifted to the studio from former Burnout and Need for Speed developer Criterion Games. At that time, Ghost Games is said to have canceled development on an unnamed Need for Speed sequel, though no further information on that project has emerged since our earlier report. [Image: EA]
Burnout founder: Nintendo and EA didn't care about NFS Most Wanted
Former Burnout creator Alex Ward took to Twitter to discuss EA's commitments to the Wii U in his time at the company, particularly with Need for Speed: Most Wanted. Since Ward recently announced his new indie studio, Three Fields Entertainment, fans asked him on the social media service if the developer's initiative to "make games for all platforms where we can self-publish" will include Wii U. "Probably not to be honest," Ward replied on Twitter. "But never say never." The resulting, occasionally heated conversation with fans shed light on his perspective on the relationship between the developer and Need for Speed publisher EA. After being accused of not properly supporting Nintendo's console after launching the Wii U version of the game later than the others, Ward said, "Totally wrong. I did. Second, I complained when the company didn't even bother to press the discs with our game on." He added that the team at Criterion "worked our arses off. Neither [Nintendo] or EA gave a shit about it. A group of us did try" and that disappointed fans should "bitch and moan at the publishers not the developers." "We just did the coding," Ward said. "Like we had any choice over when it was released? Or the price? Everyone is so quick to blame the developers. Folks worked through New Year to deliver that. We tried to do our best. We even flew to [Nintendo] to personally demo in a bid for [marketing] support. There was none." Ward added that "the game was not even physically released initially in Europe. Members of the team could not even buy their own game." The frustration led to Ward's departure from the company in January. "Stuff like that pissed me off hence I left EA and have started my own company using my savings. So seeing as our families won't eat if we fuck up, we will choose our platforms carefully," he said. Ward was careful to state that "NFSU is certainly NOT the main reason I left EA" and that "it's two years ago and much water has passed under the bridge since. I just care about great games." He also took a moment to sing the praises of development teams like BioWare, DICE, Visceral and the FIFA team at EA Canada. [Image: Electronic Arts]
Burnout creators set out to find paradise in new studio
When Criterion Games co-founders Alex Ward and Fiona Sperry both left the developer in January, they revealed plans to open a new studio. That studio is Three Fields Entertainment, and according to recent tweets from Ward, it is seeking talented individuals that are "skilled in at least three fields of creating electronic entertainment." While the British studio's website doesn't offer anything that further explains its mission, Ward added on Twitter that the developer "will make games for all platforms where we can self-publish." Ward and Sperry's departure from the Burnout developer followed an internal decision to downsize Criterion in September 2013. Many of the developers moved to Need for Speed: Rivals developer Ghost Games, while those remaining at Criterion were said to be "hard at work on a new project for next-gen consoles," according to EA. [Image: Three Fields Entertainment]
Burnout Paradise salutes Harold Ramis with free 'Legendary Cars'
Hollywood legend Harold Ramis passed away this week and the few folks left at Criterion Games are going full stream by honoring him with a free car pack in Burnout Paradise. The "Legendary Cars" pack features homages of iconic whips from Knight Rider, The Dukes of Hazzard, Back to the Future and, of course, Ghostbusters. These aren't exact replicas of the cars in question, but rather eerily-close copies. The car pack is available as a free download on both Xbox 360 and PS3 today. Burnout Paradise, the last entry in Criterion's lauded arcade-inspired racing series, takes place in Paradise City and gives racers free rein of an open-world metropolis. Initially, the game only featured cars, but Criterion's post-launch diligence introduced motorcycles and a completely new island to explore. [Image: EA]
Criterion co-founders leave EA to form new studio
Vice president Alex Ward and studio director Fiona Sperry have both left Criterion Games, a development house best known for the Burnout series of arcade-style racing games. "Alex Ward and Fiona Sperry have decided to leave EA," a spokesperson for the publisher told Polygon. "We appreciate their many contributions through the years and wish them well in their future endeavours." These departures come less than four months after Criterion was hit by downsizing, an EA decision that moved many Criterion employees to UK-based Need for Speed: Rivals developer Ghost Games. Following this forced exodus, Criterion was reportedly down to "about 20" employees, though EA claims that the developer remains hard at work on a new, as yet unannounced project aimed at next-generation consoles. "The incredibly creative and talented team at Criterion are hard at work on a new project for next-gen consoles as new IP continues to be a major priority across EA," the publisher stated. Following his announcement, Ward took to Twitter, saying, "The news breaks. Along with @FionaSperry I have left @CriterionGames. Welcome to the REAL #tothefuture." In a later tweet Ward explains that he and Sperry plan to create a new development studio, though further details on their plans have yet to appear. This marks the second time in as many days that we've received word of a shakeup at one of EA's development studios. Only yesterday we learned that PopCap Games CEO David Roberts would be departing the company, and that John Vechey, the sole PopCap founder remaining at the studio's Seattle headquarters, would assume the role. Edit: The original version of the above article included a sentence stating that Matt Webster is a senior vice president at EA, when in fact he is only leading the development of Criterion's next project. We apologize for any confusion.
Everyone has the Need for Speed in this Rivals 'AllDrive' video
Need for Speed: Rivals represents the culmination of crucial lessons learned throughout the franchise's lengthy history: Fast cars are awesome and playing online is rad. Watch as both points are expressed to an unfortunately selected 30 Seconds to Mars song in the video above.
Criterion: Downsizing was a studio decision, not EA's
Criterion Games' studio director Fiona Sperry revealed in an interview with PCgamesN that the company's recent downsizing was an internal decision, and not the result of a demand by studio owner Electronic Arts. "We lent some people (artists and engineers primarily) to [Need for Speed: Rivals developer Ghost Games], as when you're making something new you don't need a whole team of people -- we didn't need them, Ghost did -- so it all just made sense," Sperry told PCgamesN. "[It] wasn't something EA 'asked' us to do." Sperry clarified, explaining that Criterion made the decision in order to shift its focus away from EA's Need for Speed series. "Criterion has always been about doing our own games so it was never the long term plan for us to stay doing Need for Speed," Sperry said. "That's not our game." Sperry continued: "My management team at Criterion sorted it out with the management team at Ghost. That's how things work at EA these days. Teams work together, coordinate sharing of people as it suits where projects are at." Criterion's current project is not yet announced, though the company has confirmed that it's not a racing game.
Criterion staff reduced to 16 as EA shuffles studio talent
Burnout series developer Criterion Games has been reduced to a staff of 16 employees following a recent Electronic Arts studio reallocation. Criterion creative director Alex Ward outlined the studio's current status via Twitter, confirming that Criterion is now "a small team." Between 60 and 65 Criterion employees were reassigned to Sweden-based EA subsidiary Ghost Games in order to assist in developing the upcoming multiplatform racer Need for Speed: Rivals. Ward explains that the departing staff has since joined a new team, Ghost UK. Prior to its staff reduction, Criterion developed recent Need for Speed series entries Hot Pursuit and Most Wanted. Criterion confirmed earlier this year that its current project is not a racing game. Joystiq has contacted Electronic Arts for clarification.
Burnout Paradise: The Ultimate Box 75% off on Steam
Burnout Paradise: The Ultimate Box is available for $4.99 (75 percent off) over the next two days on Steam. Based on the national average price of gas in the United States, that's: 1.4 gallons of regular 1.28 gallons of premium 1.26 gallons of diesel We guarantee you'll get more mileage out of the 2008 hit, which includes motorbikes, specialty cars and many extra modes in the bundle.
Need for Speed: Rivals aiming to launch with next-gen consoles this year
Need for Speed: Rivals is slated to be a launch title for Xbox One and PlayStation 4, Lead Designer James Mouat told Joystiq at E3. The game was already announced as coming to Xbox 360, PS3 and PC on November 19, but Mouat said the team wants the game to "be out on launch" for next-generation consoles. Mouat also confirmed that the game will not include local, split-screen multiplayer. While the Rivals' "AllDrive" feature places a heavy emphasis on competitive, online-connected multiplayer, Mouat assured us that "if you never touch the Internet with your console, it still plays fine," and that "you'll have an entire single-player campaign to play through."
