Ghost Games
Latest
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.
'Need For Speed Heat' is an ode to Miami street racing (updated)
You knew EA couldn't go long without another Need for Speed game. Ghost Games and EA have taken the wraps off Need for Speed Heat, an open world arcade racer that "deepens and expands" the familiar mechanics of street races and police chases. It's a not-so-subtle ode to Miami that has you racing in the fictional Palm City in both sanctioned, money-focused daytime races as well as nighttime underground races that are all about reputation. To no one's surprised, the cops are less than enthusiastic about the after-dark racing -- there's a "rogue police task force" determined to hunt you down.
Need for Speed Rivals burns rubber on EA Access soon
EA Access members will soon have another game to add to their collection: Need for Speed Rivals. The racing game will be added to the Xbox One program's "Vault" in the coming weeks, so players will be able dig in to single and multiplayer races at any time, for as long as they so desire. The service will also be rolling out to 19 more countries later this month, including Brazil and the Netherlands. EA announced its subscription service in late July, giving Xbox One players access to select games for $5 per month (or $30 for an entire year). The program also grants players early access to some games as well, such as Madden NFL 15, though only for six hours. EA says players put in 245,000 hours with the game before its release, meaning at least 40,833 players checked the game out. The publisher said it will offer six-hour trials of two more upcoming sports games: NHL 15 and FIFA 15, each available five days before their respective launches. [Image: EA]
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]
'The fastest car ever built' burns rubber in Need for Speed: Rivals
The Koenigsegg Agera One:1 is a car as fast as its name is difficult to pronounce. Thankfully, you'll have better things - like evading the cops or catching racer punks - to worry about should you choose to give it a spin in Need for Speed: Rivals. The car is now available to download for free, and comes in both racer and police variants. According to the Need for Speed blog, the real-life Agera, "possibly the fastest car ever built," packs 1340 BHP (or brake horsepower, which is to say horsepower that doesn't factor in an engine's natural loss in power) and weighs 1340 kilograms. That's one BHP per kilogram, a 1:1 ratio! Oh. Ohhhhhhhh. Hold up. Nevermind. We just got it. [Image: EA]
.jpeg.cf.jpg)
Report: Ghost Games suffers layoffs, Need for Speed game put on hold
Need for Speed: Rivals developer Ghost Games has suffered layoffs in its UK office and ceased development on an unannounced Need for Speed project, according to a report by Polygon. The report states that Electronic Arts dismissed contract workers earlier this week and presented full-time staff members with a choice: leave and take compensation, or help Dead Space series developer Visceral Games with "Havana," a rumored Battlefield title said to be planned for the end of the year. If true, these layoffs follow Criterion Games' downsizing in September, which resulted in around 60 of its staff members working at Ghost Games. Criterion Studio Director Fiona Sperry described that exchange as a voluntary move rather than a choice handed down by EA. Sparrow and Criterion Vice President Alex Ward then left Criterion in January, noting plans on Twitter to create studio of their own. [Image: EA]
Need for Speed: Rivals trailers peel out on PS4, Xbox One
Keen to see how Need for Speed: Rivals will run on your next-gen console of choice? Look no further - well, unless you want to see some cop-based gameplay. EA chose to highlight the lawless side of things in these two clips.
Need for Speed can 'learn a lot' from EA Sports
When Andrew Wilson became CEO of Electronic Arts in September, he named Patrick Soderlund as his replacement as head of EA Sports. The company immediately made structural changes in how it handles its EA Labels, shuffling its games under the EA Studios brand. Along with that change, the Need for Speed series became part of EA Sports, a decision that Soderlund thinks will have a positive impact on the racing property. "I think that we can learn a lot from the sports games and what they've done," Soderlund told Polygon. "When you play a sports game, the controller in your hand will dictate how good the game is. It's all about player control and input and how it feels. It's a feeling, right? I think that focus on pure gameplay, is something that can benefit the Need for Speed brand in a very positive way." EA Sports-branded games have shared assets and design philosophies over the years, such as the NHL team at EA Canada adapting FIFA's Player Impact physics engine to bolster collisions between players in NHL 14. Soderlund noted that the change doesn't necessarily indicate a sudden move away from the sandbox-style action seen in Need For Speed Rivals. "It's a way for us to push innovation and push a different creative brain or mindset onto Need for Speed," Soderlund said. Need for Speed Rivals is now a launch game for PS4, and will arrive on PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 on November 19, launching with the Xbox One on November 22.
Need for Speed Rivals now a PlayStation 4 launch title in North America
Electronic Arts announced today that the PlayStation 4 version of Need for Speed Rivals will hit store shelves on November 15 as part of the console's launch lineup in North America. Developer Ghost Games initially planned for a simultaneous launch on the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 on November 22, but has since bumped up the PS4 version's release to coincide with the platform's debut stateside. The Xbox One version of Rivals is still slated for release on November 22, accompanying the console's 13-market launch. Ports for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC platforms are due on November 19.
Wii U audience not big enough for Need For Speed: Rivals devs
Ghost Games' upcoming racer Need for Speed: Rivals will not be released on the Wii U due to low platform sales, Creative Director Craig Sullivan claims in an interview with The Sixth Axis this week. "[Rivals] is going onto new hardware, and you have to work out where you focus your efforts," Sullivan said. "The 200 people working on this game are only capable of making so much, and doing so many different versions of the game, so we had to go with where we think the biggest audience will be for the game, and that's where we are." Need for Speed: Rivals runs on the Frostbite 3 engine, which lacks Wii U support. Battlefield series developer DICE attempted to get the engine up and running on the platform earlier this year, but abandoned its efforts after tests yielded "not too promising" results. EA previously revealed that it had no games in development for Nintendo's console, citing poor sales of the launch games Madden NFL 13, FIFA Soccer 13 and Mass Effect 3: Special Edition. Sales for this year's Need for Speed: Most Wanted U also proved insufficient, due to the console's low install base. "[Need for Speed: Most Wanted U] was a good game," Electronic Arts Labels President Frank Gibeau said. "It wasn't a schlocky port, we actually put extra effort into getting everything to work. And it's just not selling because there's no boxes."
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.
Need for Speed: Rivals Xbox One and PS4 launch details
Need for Speed: Rivals will approach the starting line next month. We've known current-generation versions will launch on November 19, but today EA has announced next-generation ports for Xbox One and PS4 won't make their debut until November 22 in North America. In Europe, the Xbox One version will also launch on November 22, while the PS4 port will arrive a week later, on November 29. The Xbox One will be available in 13 different markets on November 22, while the PS4 will make its entrance a week earlier in North America on November 15. Europe will receive the PS4 on November 29. Players assume the role of both cops and lawbreakers in Need for Speed: Rivals, which is the inaugural outing of Ghost Games – the rebranded EA Gothenburg studio in Sweden. Ghost Games is made up of talent moved over from UK-based Criterion Games, best known for its work on the Burnout series and shooter Black, along with former DICE staff.
Take down rivals in Need for Speed progression trailer and screens
The latest trailer and screens for Need for Speed: Rivals show the progression of goals players face as both cops and racers in the game. Some tasks have players drifting for 500 yards while others challenge players to take down at least six racers. Need for Speed: Rivals will launch November 19.
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.
Upgrade cars, ditch the cops in Need for Speed: Rivals trailer
Sure, you could drive right out of the dealership in your stock Volkswagen Passat and get into a thrilling cop chase, but your odds of getting away are going to be a lot better if you've upgraded the car first.
Need for Speed franchise strives to feel more cohesive
EA executive producer Marcus Nilsson told Joystiq he wants the Need for Speed franchise to have more continuity, and for its various games to feel more connected to one another. Looking back on the uneven history of Need for Speed games (remember that one where you took down an international crime syndicate?), Nilsson said the brand has "potentially" lacked some clear strategy for where it's going. "That's something that we, as we get new ownership into it, can react to and try to establish," Nilsson said at Gamescom, referring to Need for Speed: Rivals developer Ghost Games, which has taken on the racer franchise from Criterion Games. That goal becomes complicated when there's a movie in the mix, though Nilsson said there is "inspiration going back and forth" between Hollywood and EA. "But what I'm saying in the future is that there'll be probably be a much more handheld approach between where you see each product of Need for Speed going, like you can understand what's happening. "Why does it have to be: okay, Need for Speed this series is black, Need for Speed that year is white. Whatever I do, I want to know [what I'm getting]."
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."
Need for Speed Rivals E3 trailer is your target
With a dose of Breaking Bad's Aaron Paul, who stars in the game, EA showcased a new trailer for Ghost Games' Need for Speed Rivals. The competitive racer is bracing itself for impact with the Xbox One, PS4, PC, Xbox 360, and PS3, with November 19 pinned for the current-gen editions. %Gallery-190956%
Need for Speed Rivals on PC will look 'easily as good' as next-gen versions
Need for Speed Rivals – the franchise's first turn into the new world of next-gen consoles – is also coming to the PC. In crafting the PC version, Ghost Games executive producer Marcus Nilsson promises "Need for Speed Rivals will look easily as good on PC as next-generation consoles." The original press release for Need for Speed Rivals made no mention of a PC version; however, the PR has since been amended revealing the PC version will arrive on November 19 alongside the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of the game. Xbox One and PS4 versions will launch "later this year." Other than differences in graphical fidelity and online player count, Rivals features differences in its new marquee feature "AllDrive" across current- and next-gen systems. AllDrive is the ability for the game to "seamlessly" adapt to player interaction as they cross paths in the open-world space. On next-gen consoles, players will have unspecified exclusive ways to interact with the game using other devices. Nilsson would not detail if the PC version's feature-set would be based on the current- or next-gen platform versions. Expanding on how AllDrive would work, Nilsson offered an example of how the game would react to friends in the same world engaged in separate chases that come across each other. With the new feature, Need for Speed Rivals would recognize player proximity and any current missions and automatically shift objectives and scoring to that of a traditional co-op encounter. Players can enter and exit each other's worlds to race and interact "on-the-fly." The core features of AllDrive will be available on all platforms. For more on Need for Speed Rivals, read our reveal post with additional comments from the game's executive producer. [Ed. Note: This post was updated to reflect changes to the announcement press release.]
