Criterion Games, known mostly for being the maker of extremely successful titles under the Burnout franchise, has made it known that the Need for Speed series will henceforth be completely handled by it. The developer’s only past stint with the NFS brand came in the form of the Hot Pursuit reboot in 2010, but the much awaited NFS: Most Wanted is also in the making under this studio.
In response to a query from Game Informer at an E3 interview, Criterion’s VP Alex Ward is said to have claimed that although a number of different studios have been associated with the Need for Speed series till date, from now onwards Criterion will be the only one in charge of it. It has also come to light that the developer’s stamp will be associated with each and every game from the series in the future.
“Our stamp’s going to be in everything you see in Need for Speed and Burnout going forward in the future. 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. 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,” Criterion vice president, Alex Ward, told the website.
Criterion Games had made the first ever Burnout game which was launched for the PS2, Xbox and GameCube in 2001. It has since made five different titles under the franchise, while the only NFS game it has crafted before this year’s NFS: Most Wanted is the much loved Hot Pursuit reboot. This British studio is based in Guildford and is owned by EA.
After what we saw in the previous titles created by Criterion Games, we’re certainly looking forward to the next entry in the Need for Speed series which is due in October this year.