Criterion Games VP Alex Ward explains different studios have "had a crack at it," but now the United Kingdom shop is steering the franchise.
Criterion Games--developer of the Burnout series of racing games--is now in the driver's seat of the Need for Speed franchise. Speaking to the GameStop-owned Game Informer magazine, Criterion vice president Alex Ward revealed the British developer will be involved with all upcoming Need for Speed games.
"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," he said. "Different studios have had a crack at it--it's definitely a Criterion gig now."
Ward did not say if Criterion would develop all future Need for Speed franchise games or if it would only oversee development. As of press time, EA had not responded to GameSpot's request for comment.
Currently, Criterion is at work on Need for Speed Most Wanted, due out on October 30 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. The game is a reboot of the 2005 Xbox 360 launch title of the same name and has players zipping through an open world, escaping the clutches of police. For more, check out GameSpot's latest preview.
The latest Burnout title to see release was 2011's Burnout Crash on Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network. Ward did not reveal future plans for the series, saying only that he "thinks about it all the time."
Eddie Makuch (Mack-ooh) is a News Editor at GameSpot. He works out of the company's Boston office in Somerville, Mass., and loves extra chunky peanut butter.
please could they just make a UNDERGROUND 3 with cars that can be modified as you can see from all the forums thats what everyone wants and if this re-make stuff don work then they really are going to take a seat behind other racing titles,come one EA you know you better than just re-making old games, an UNDERGROUND 3 would knock everyone out of their seats(well as long as its done properly)
That's good to hear. Black box got enough chances and they ruined all of them. Criterion done a good job with Hot Pursuit so I hope they'll do the same with rest of the series.
But I suppose the Shift Developers will be around since it broke away from NFS Tree.
2 Like omg how could NFS end up like this >< ? i miss Underground 1,2 carbon,most wanted.....now it's not NFS anymore, it's burn-out >< guess this is farewell to this beloved series...
Have you played the new Hot Pursuit. It was a great reboot from the old one so why worry now? I'm sure they'll give a good reboot to Most Wanted (and perhaps other titles as well)
Finally, someone took this away from Black Box. As of right now, that is the best thing for it.
i don't think there's enough differentiation between burnout and nfs to warrant doing both titles side-by-side. both suffer as a result. (as they look and play the same) They need to define them both into distinct racing genre.
5 Like This game is not most wanted, this is just burnout!!!!
I'm not buying this shit ea!!!!
@vaiostation69 i'm gonna be very busy playing Forza Horizon. If only Polyphony Digital started making games like this one :(
3 Like I'm hoping they just turn NFS into Burnout. Hot Pursuit was super boring. This new one looks more like Burnout though. I just want another Burnout game.
Hot Pursuit was brilliant hope this lives up to the standard. I also hope we get a new Burnout game - Crash was different but haven't had a proper Burnout for a while now!!
3 Like Suddendly Electronic Arses decides to make it F2P game. A buck for a nitro, a buck here and there for cars and customisation. Shame, Criterion Games you are still with EA. Ridge Racer Unbounded is the alternative while you are with EA.
4 Like they try to make the game so badass and so young and rebel that they finish with a complete failure. High stakes, Underground 2, Most wanted great games. After that hollywood look and nothing more. i Hope they will come down to earth with the next one.
@the_viruss_boss half agree carbon was also very good with the free roam and cops it gave you the option but didnt force you to go head to head with the cops although im sure for most it was one of the best parts of the game
1 Like the early burnout games on the 360 and xbox original were great infact i think i only managed to get 97 percent completion on the original, great game. something changed after that. Juiced was another good game, i had nfs carbon and most wanted and they got very tedious quickly, on the run was too "burnout" and sadly didn't appeal. looked great though. The new nfs looks promising, but then so have the rest.
@Dragos1195 Most likely not. It will look better, but the gameplay looks crap. The problem with EA is that they don't listen to the actual people they're trying to appeal to! They have a great formula, then they go and screw it up. We have been asking for an Underground 3 for longer than what we have most wanted. Underground 3 was one of their best games by far, so was most wanted. This one, is just going to be another failure.
1 Like I'm tired of these new NFS games, I've already got Hot Pursuit (2010 & '98), High Stakes, and Most Wanted. I'm all good here!
4 Like My opinion of NFS? It has become a big pile of s**t!!!
Here's why:
Tuning: absent (NFS:U2, NFS:MW and NFS: Carbon were the best at this)
Police: lame (NFS:MW was and still has the most challenging police)
Cars: meh not bad (the lack of tuning makes them boring)
One last thing... Is this a racing video game or it's an action movie?
P.S.: Sorry for my bad english.
5 Like Well to be completely honest....
In my opinion EA turned Burnout into NFS with the whole free-roam nonsense, the best for me was still Burnout 3.
Now Criterion are in full control of NFS maybe that'll turn to Burnout?
Here's hoping anyway! My favourite racer was destroyed this gen by EA's money grabbing antics :P
5 Like Take down in a NFS game? :X Devs just dont get it... We just need the old NFS formula, with better graphics, maps, cars and perhaps even a storyline.
4 Like @banana23man Splitscreen, lan Without Crappy drm or Origin, With Fun Capmaign long enough to satisfy Players
1 Like I wish that EA would give nfs a break and let criterion make a new classic burnout game unlike burnout crash.
4 Like sounds promising but I'd like to see NFS return to what made it fun, and not just an NFS skinned Burnout.
As fun as their version of Hot Pursuit was (and the environment was beautifully designed), it had limited replay value to me. I feel satisfied I've completed it and can't see myself ever replaying it... yet I remember playing Hot Pursuit 2 at least 4 times over... the very first NFS? Quite a few times with that one too.
After Most Wanted how about a remake of High Stakes... now that was a great NFS. Where damage had an effect on your car, degrading speed, traction and steering. That was an NFS that definitely encouraged skill based driving.
Take the reliance on constant crash cams out and leave them for a Paradise Island 2 or something and make NFS about DRIVING again, not smashing the crap out of everyone else (leave that for Burnout, that's what Burnout does best)
4 Like Im waiting for a new Burnout Game so bad.
last burnout was released more than 4 years ago. ( Burnout Paradise )
cmon we need a new burnout before the next consoles come out
1 Like i really do hope they stick to the roots of NFS MW. having a garage with cars you could drive in free roam and also that you could pimp, unlike just being given cars to drive.
Unfortunately there hasnt been many decent fun racing games for some time. The original Need for Speeds were amazing, and most wanted/carbon/hot pursuit werent too bad. And some of the original burnouts had some fun to be had, although it get old pretty quick, but both series have become stale and a bore to play. But then again if you buy an EA game, you deserve what you get Thank god for Blur, Trackmania and even Split Second
1 Like "Criterion vice president Alex Ward revealed the British developer will be involved with all upcoming Need for Speed games." Oh, they're British. The American's are going to have to start driving on the left-hand side of the road now :P
Kinda miss how in Most wanted you could customize the crap out of your car. The older most wanted was my faveorite.
1 Like No.1 - I dislike crash-cam, developer need new method to present the crash effect without affecting actual gameplay. Sharp audio, better and more realistic after-crash-effect / events... etc. Crash is part of racing and personally want to see something totally new to be done to present that "effect" to the player without disturbing him/her.
1 Like Why can't they have the original developer make this game? Burnout games are Burnout games. Need for Speed Most Wanted was the pinnacle of the NFS series, along with Hot Pursuit 2, and I have a feeling this game is gonna turn out just like the recent Hot Pursuit did. Just let the original guys do it so it can be done right.
Just give us another Burnout already, one to rival Takedown. I mean, you willingly took out the crash courses in paradise.
that's just wrong.
From the videos they presented, this game looks like the game NFS: Carbon should have been. I miss Black Box, they did a good job with the original NFS: MW, but Criterion knows what they are doing and we'll just have to give them the benefit of the doubt for now.
hell yeah it could be, burnout paradise was my favorite racing game of all time, im so glad we might get something that resembles it atleast, wish they would just go on and give it a proper sequel, well see what they do with need for speed.... got high hopes anyways..
Head of Guildford-based studio says "it is time to make something new."
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