Criterion Games take over the Need for Speed franchise

There is a famous saying: if you can’t beat them, join them. However, Criterion Games has gone one step further and taken complete control of the renowned Need for Speed franchise, once their greatest rival in the racing games genre.

During an interview with Game Informer magazine, Criterion Games vice president Alex Ward conceded that Electronic Arts (EA) Games had entrusted the development of Need for Speed games to his studio.

He went on to reveal that the developer plans on moving the franchise into a different direction. Instead of succumbing to the immediacy of releasing a Need for Speed title every year, Criterion Games will take its time before releasing an instalment in order to ensure that no compromise on quality is made.

“Maybe it’s been that way in the past, but that’s changed this year with what we’re doing,” said Ward. “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.”

EA Games has experimented a lot with its popular racing game franchise over the years, bringing in different developers and allowing it to split into different series such as Hot Pursuit, Underground and Shift. The multiple brands may have saved the franchise from becoming stagnant, but not all the games went down well with the fans.

With the underwhelming success of last year’s Need for Speed: The Run, which was developed by EA Black Box, it became clear to the gaming industry giant that it was time for them to hand over the job to a more reliable developer.

Sharing his thoughts on the multiple-brand and singular approach, Ward seemed to be inclined in favour of finding some middle-ground.

“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,” stated Ward.

More commonly known for their development of the Burnout series, Criterion Games had developed 2010’s highly acclaimed Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit. The well-received title convinced EA Games to involve the British developers in the reboot of Need for Speed: Most Wanted, which is slated to come out on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC on October 30, 2012.

It turns out that the publisher of the Need for Speed franchise have developed a strong trust in the capabilities of Criterion Games and feel that the latter has what it takes to ensure that each title is a big hit.

With the developers taking over another racing game series, the fate of Burnout franchise seems to be a bit hazy.