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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]
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.
Criterion creative director indicates he isn't working on a racing game
Need for Speed: Most Wanted and Burnout Paradise developer Criterion looks to be expanding beyond the racing game genre. Studio creative director and VP Alexander Ward responded yesterday to recent speculation about a new Need for Speed: Underground game, ruling out any impending announcements of either that or a new Burnout - or at least ones that involve himself.This morning, Ward tweeted "The key word was 'personally'....#tothefuture #weseefarther," underlining that some of the comments he made were only in reference to himself. His tweet may imply Criterion has separate teams working on separate games - Ward said only nine months ago the Need for Speed series was "definitely a Criterion gig" now."Here is what I want folks to know," Ward wrote yesterday. "Some folks are eternally disappointed. Nothing I can do about that. So many tweets asking for new Burnout. Equally many tweets asking for a new NFS game from us. Also Road Rash. Whilst I love all of those games, I am personally not doing any.""After over a decade of making racing games it's time to make something new. It is early days thus I have nothing to 'announce' or talk about," Ward continued. However, he certainly didn't sever his own ties with the genre, later saying, "I am proud of all of the Burnout games. When it feels right we will make another one. We are creative people."
Why hooligans have a place in Need for Speed: Most Wanted
Need for Speed: Most Wanted's online play is equal parts chaos and confusion, going against the normal regimented competitions and controlled environments found in other racing games. Criterion Games creative director Alex Ward says this design is part of the studio's "philosophy" for online play.In Most Wanted online, players are called to a meeting area before an event starts, without much warning or information. Unless you've played the particular event before, you have no idea what to do and – as mentioned in Joystiq's review – there's nothing stopping other players from foiling each other before the event starts. "The philosophy there is that we know people are utter degenerate hooligans online," Ward says – and the actions of these "hooligans," as he calls them, is a "valid" part of the overall online experience.%Gallery-178663%
Need for Speed now officially Criterion's baby
Criterion VP Alex Ward revealed that the company took over the Need for Speed series in an interview at E3 with GameInformer. Noting that the franchise will see "strong Criterion involvement" going forward, Ward said that he will be "personally involved in how the cars drive, how the game will play out, how connected they are, and what the features are.""It's not going to be spread anymore across different companies. Different studios have had a crack at it – it's definitely a Criterion gig now," he said.Regarding the variety in Need For Speed titles and features (such as Hot Pursuit, Shift, and Most Wanted), Ward added, "I think it would be amazing in the future if there was one big game that had all of these in it. That would be amazing."
Burnout Crash hits home in August, was once a Wii game [update: now '2011']
Burnout Crash! will bring its top-down pileups, Kinect collisions and titular exclamation point to PSN and XBLA in August, according to an announcement on EA's UK news site. EA originally announced the downloadable auto pinball title as a "fall" release. Another revelation about Crash! was provided by Criterion creative director Alex Ward at EA's summer showcase. Ward told Giant Bomb that the project started on Wii before it became Crash!. "It was a user-created game where you drew a road with the wand, and we thought, if we made Crash Mode, you could make it all yourself." Criterion worked on that until discovering that it was "quite boring." Update: The announcement on EA's site has replaced all references to "August" (and the one out-of-place reference to "Winter") to just "2011."
Criterion once pitched 'Need for Speed: Split Second,' worked on Skate or Die remake
In the latest issue of GamesTM, Criterion Games creative director Alex Ward dishes news on a Skate or Die remake that EA offered his studio back in 2002, which was eventually canned by Criterion. This, Ward says, soured relations between the developer and EA for some time, effectively killing Criterion's pitch on a Need for Speed title -- titled "Need for Speed: Split Second," if you can believe it. "We called a meeting with the EA guys, told them we were walking away [from Skate or Die] and they went mad," Ward said. "threatening to sue us, put us out of business ... there was a lot of anger and frustration. Then we got a call from the Need For Speed guys and they said 'we can't work with you guys any more; you just walked away and there's a shame on your company, so we can't talk to you.'" Though the pitch was killed, Criterion instead got to work on developing its Burnout series and is now developing another reboot for EA: Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit. It also appears that the direction in which Skate or Die's remake was going -- a more realistic, simulation-style skateboarding game -- eventually became EA's Skate franchise. "I wanted to explore what it was like to just go out for a skate and have that feeling of just doing whatever you want. There was that experience from when I went skating in real life that just wasn't captured in videogames. I wanted to be able to get off the board," says Criterion dev Craig Sullivan. There are said to be many more interesting tidbits in the issue, which hits newsstands on September 5.
Joystiq hands-on: Burnout Paradise
I recently got sucked into Burnout Paradise, playing about a half-hour of the racing game due for release this Winter. While a half-hour may not seem like much, at hands-on gaming events, we writers rarely have the time or interest to play more than about fifteen minutes of a title before moving to the next.Criterion creative director, Alex Ward chatted while I raced through the realistic city; he was clearly proud and excited by the game's deviation from previous Burnout franchise titles. And I was also impressed.Admittedly, a half-hour isn't enough time to make a complete assessment of a game. But I'm optimistic that the new version of the title will be a smash even if it breaks Burnout traditions.%Gallery-2874%
Alex Ward flips out during MTV interview
Did you play EA's notoriously over-hyped shooter, Black? We mean, did you really play it? Enough to understand the subtle geopolitical message that gelled together the very fabric of the game? Would you say you beat the game? If so, don't tell Alex Ward that. As MTV News' Stephen Totilo found out, using such common terminology for completing a game in the presence of Criterion's creative director is enough to warrant a long-winded rant against Western gamers. Between finding hidden messages in Pac-Man and taking absurd leaps in logic when analyzing the speech habits of Americans, Ward spits fire for just under five minutes of insanity. Totilo attempts to get him back on track regarding the plot (or lack thereof) of Black, but even after a few zingers Ward just keeps on trucking. Let's see. An arrogant British man grandstanding about the stupidity of Americans? Yeah, that's real creative. About as creative as Black.
Criterion seeks 'verisimilitude' in Burnout 5
New buzzword: verisimilitude. It's the term Criterion front man Alex Ward borrows from the director of the recent Superman flick; it's the term that defines the focus of Burnout 5's crashes. That is to say, "[if] you don't believe the crash is real, then it's not going to frighten you," Ward recently told Newsweek's N'Gai Croal, "...The first crash you see on PlayStation 3 has got to go way beyond everything you've ever seen, beyond anything that we've ever done."Note Ward's usage of "PlayStation 3." Criterion is Sony developer at heart, and Ward isn't shy about his allegiance. Regardless of Sony's miscues, Ward's transparent loyalty is a reminder that big-time developers are dedicated to delivering for PlayStation 3. Then again, Burnout 5 is also headed to Xbox 360. Will we be able to discern a difference?
