Criterion Now In Charge of All Things Need for Speed

Dashboard views, automatic ANDmanual transmission options, and a somewhat less arcade-like playstyle with how the cars handle, and I'll buy from you again. Otherwise, sorry but no.

I suggest their next title should be Need For Speed: Burnout or Burnout NFS. Those are the only two options.

Scratch that; their next game should be Black 2.

@iAmJohn: Burnout is dead. The last one did so well that they kicked the developer off the franchise and told them to make NFS games. NFS always sold well despite the quality and Burnout always sold poorly despite the quality. EA just finally had the light go off in their head that they should have the Burnout guys call their games Need For Speed, then they'll have games that aren't shit and sell well.

I wonder what will happen to the old NFS dev? They were kinda sucky and in any other industry they'd be kicked to the curb due to the quality of content they made, but maybe EA will let them stick around like Activision did Treyarch in hopes that one day they'll get their act together and start making games that aren't garbage compared to the other studio making titles in the franchise.

This news is exciting for two reasons, one being that Criterion is fucking pro at making racing games. The second is god dammit, now Black Box has no excuse not to make Skate 4.

Please? Pretty please?

I think this means whatever remained of Black Box within the EA Burnaby campus is now officially dead. There has not really been a EA Black Box since the studio was closed in late 2008. Some people moved to Burnaby, a bunch refused to, and Black Box has more or less been just an EA Label for the last few years.

I wonder what this means for Shift? Need for Speed was on the box but not in the title for Shift 2, so maybe they will truly spin that out into its own thing. Or maybe not, VGChartz seems to think Shift 2 sold less than a third of the first one so maybe that is dead too.

I just hope this doesn't mean annualized Need for Speed releases out of Criterion.

IT'S ABOUT GODDAMN TIME. 
 
Ditch Need For Speed, MAKE BURNOUT.

They should make Burnout: The Need For Speed.

@iAmJohn said:

Just fucking make a new Burnout already. Argh.

THIS. THIS. THIS.

Sounds good to me. Wouldn't surprise me if one year we see "Need for Speed: Burnout" and combine the two franchises that way (but the game would be entirely a Burnout game) .

That's great news. I'm a bit fan of Burnout Paradise and this new NFS Most Wanted looks great.

Just fucking make a new Burnout already. Argh.

Not that I'm opposed to what they've done with Need for Speed, but it's not Burnout and never will be. And we haven't had a really great Burnout in over six years at this point; Paradise was great for what it was but lacked that extra something that made Takedown and Revenge so awesome. Like defined tracks.

Also, not going to lie, I just wanted to steal the quest from someone.

It's probably not too far out of turn to say that Criterion's rendition of Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit was the best thing to bear the name Need for Speed in several years. It's also probably reasonable to say that if you enjoyed Hot Pursuit, you probably felt some twinge of disappointment with the lackluster effort that was last year's Black Box-developed effort, Need for Speed: The Run. Well, you needn't worry about EA playing developer switch-up any longer, as Criterion has officially taken the reins of the Need for Speed series for itself.

The news comes from a Game Informer interview (via Polygon) with Criterion VP Alex Ward, saying, "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," he said. "Going forward now, with Most Wanted and what we'll do in the future [will have], shall we say, a strong Criterion involvement."

Criterion's upcoming update of NFS: Most Wanted drew a number of raves from critics at E3 this year, including our own Jeff Gerstmann. As for Burnout, there hasn't been any major release in the series since the critically acclaimed, but marginally sold Burnout Paradise. Ward, sadly, didn't say anything to G.I. about a potential Burnout sequel, though to be fair, elements of the Burnout games have been seeping their way into Need for Speed ever since Criterion got its hands on the franchise.

I have no complaints personally about this move, as Criterion has yet to really disappoint me with any driving game they've produced. Of course, now we're left to wonder what the hell Black Box is up to now. Skate 4? Helping with NHL stuff? Nothing at all?