Criterion Founders Leave Criterion/EA

[gondee]

http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/01/03/criterion-games-co-founders-leave-studio

According to the article, EA moved creative development of the NFS series to another studio middle of last year and took all of Criterion's staff when they did it.

RIP Criterion. Victim of EA's studio mishandling once again.

[citylights]

Very sad, but it seemed inevitable after the Ghost Games thing. Like yeah, you don't have to work on NFS, but 75% of your team is going to GG anyway so good luck with that. Seems like Criterion is still working on that new IP though, but I wonder what it is with such a (relatively) small team? Perhaps it's still in the early stages and they'll expand when they need the manpower. Either way, I'm not very optimistic. I'll be watching to see what these two do though, for sure!

[Kijooki]

The news saddened me as well... but not very surprising as they had given control to Ghost studio for Rivals...

No secret that i have always been a huge fan and will always be admirative for their job on Hot Pursuit.

I really really hope there will be a new NFS title announced next year.. *fingerscrossed*

[TrickyEmu]

Well that settles it for me. I won't bother to switch to the next generation of consoles anymore. I'm done. Going PC.

[Salariedcat7507]

Why does it always seem to be the awesome guys that get shut down? I LOVED criterion. Their games were awesomeness embodied.

[Mobe]

I think some of the bigger studios that specialised in racing games are all finding life difficult. Rumour has it that Codemasters are in trouble after the latest Dirt pretty much bombed after a long and expensive development.

[citylights]

I've heard some people joke that all of the displaced racing devs in the UK (Studio Liverpool, Bizzare, etc.) should band together and make one racing studio to end all studios. If only! I don't know who's even going to be making racers that aren't sims next-gen besides Evolution and Ghost. I guess there's also MK8 and potentially a new Sonic & All-Stars for kart racers.

[Wind_Waker23]

you know what, good on them for wanting to pursue their own studio. I enjoyed both the Burnout series and NFS:HP + NFS:MW

it's gonna be wierd to have a lot of Criterion's team dwindled down

[citylights]

Criterion: Better to Change than Burn Out

“Beyond cars. That’s for certain.”

That’s the enthusiastic response you get when you ask Matt Webster, the recently-appointed general manager of Criterion, about the studio’s next project.

While many onlookers found the reduction of Criterion’s staff to just 17 alarming, it’s immediately clear that Webster wasn’t perturbed in the slightest. It’s all part of the cycle, he tells me. This is where Webster benefits from perspective of having been with EA for over 20 years and at Criterion for going on 10.

“We’ve changed a lot,” he tells me. “Whenever we’re grown, we’ve shrunk. You change shape. New people come in and old people go. That’s kind of the nature of the business, you know. You can’t stand still at all. I don’t think we ever can. That’s certainly a big focus for us: always change, adapt and innovate.”

And while most change is usually imposed, Webster tells me this reduction was Criterion’s decision, born partly of fatigue with the racing genre. “We did Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit on the back of Burnout: Paradise. Then we did Most Wanted. Then we wanted to do something new.

“So I’d love it to be around E3 that we get to know more. It’s a shame that I can’t tell you more.”

[TrickyEmu]

Who knows, maybe his team will collaborate with batty and they will make the next SSX. Imagine

[Kijooki]

Would love that, Emu

But well, very sad news again...

http://uk.ign.com/articles/2014/02/03/need-for-speed-developer-ghost-games-hit-by-layoffs

...

[citylights]

...It all comes full circle.