Criterion takes over entire Need For Speed Series

[garyopa]

And not just the upcoming NFS Most Wanted.



Criterion has announced that the firm will helm the Need for Speed franchise going forward.

That's right, according to Criterion vice president Alex Ward, from now the studio will be in charge of the entire franchise and not just their upcoming Most Wanted 'reboot'.

So nope, it's not going to be spread across different companies anymore:

"Going forward now, with Most Wanted and what we'll do in the future [will have], shall we say, a strong Criterion involvement," he explained. "I'm personally involved in how the cars drive, how the game will play out, how connected they are, and what the features are."

The studio would not clarify if Criterion will directly develop every Need for Speed title, as Ward intimated, or simply oversee the series, when we asked them after our interview.

Ward was, however, clear that Criterion will have control over which Need for Speed titles will come out in the future. As of now the franchise covers different areas with its Shift, Most Wanted, Underground, and Hot Pursuit imprints, and although there's no definite road map for what kind of future Need for Speed games Criterion and EA will release, Ward expressed interest in one all-encompassing NFS title. "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."

But, what about Burnout?

As for the Burnout franchise, Criterion definitely has not forgotten the series and its many fans. The studio put out the downloadable Burnout Crash! last year, but Ward was mum on the future of Burnout other than to say that the developer "[thinks] about it all the time.

"I think something big will have to happen soon to enable us to do some of the things we want to do."

Need for Speed: Most Wanted is launching in the US on October 30 and November 2 in Europe for PC, PS3, Vita, and Xbox 360.

What do you think of this?

NEWS SOURCE: Criterion to oversee entire Need for Speed franchise going forward (via) VG247

Our thanks to 'Gauss' for this news item!

[billysastard]

they might make good nfs games, they might not, they made good burnout games and bad burnout games (like crash), either way ea should let them make a proper new burnout game instead of yearly (now) nfs games.

[Battlefield]

**** you EA for crappyfying another dev and making it like Maxis.

Criterion focusing on NFS sequels in the future... Dont expect to see any new Burnout for years.
Maxis... Making expansion #2125 for Sims..

EA is still wondering why they were voted as the worst company? They just proved again that they are.

I wouldnt mind if Burnout 5/6 came first, then NFS...but 5 x NFS, and maybe no new Burnout ever.. NO
I think its just wrong to crappify companies which is able to make HQ big sellers with innovation. Origin, Westwood, Bullfrog..

Bullfrog and Maxis happens to be the 2 companies i liked most ever.

[MadonnaProject]

criterion make great racing games. dont know why they're not making nymore burnout games though. however nfs was going downhill with year after year of garbage games. and then criterion came along and actually made their games "speedy". their games performed better than the other nfs games released by other devs so this is a common sense decision.

[Nocuddle]

who cares abt sum ppl jump ships.

TAKE MAH MUNEE & GIMME NEW NEED FEKKIN SPEED!

preferable that involves cops & robbers chasing mode

Most Wanted FTW!

[Sm0k3d 0uT]

Give me a new NFS Underground and not a Burnout Underground. I like NFS series and burnout series for what they were individually.
I swear if criterion releases a NFS that is more burnout than NFS, I'm gonna put my foot so far up EA's !@# that I wouldn't even want it back.

[DEDDOA]

Oh well with Bugbear not making real Flatout sequals and Criterion stuck on the same old same old every year NFS instead of making Burnout 5 I guess none of the off the wall racers are left, we just stuck with droll ridge racer and NFS. I t stings that bit more when we used to jokingly refer to Burnout Paradise and NFS Paradise, seems ea took notice and downgraded them to NFS duty. I have yet to play a driving game since Burnout revenge (4 shiney edition) and Flatout ultimate carnage, that have managed to match them for fun on the arcade racer front. I won't deny it, if I want to play a driving game with my wheel, we always end up on Flatout and should it be a OTT speed game, it's always Burnout 4. Fair enough most wanted was the last good NFS, but even that was a poor subtititute for the Out games.