EA will turn the developer of the latest Need for Speed games into a service center and return the Criterion series
Swedish Ghost Games will be transferred from game development to servicing other EA divisions. In recent years, the developer has been making games of the Need for Speed series. Now the franchise will return to Criterion Studio.
Publisher Electronic Arts has announced large-scale changes in the work of Ghost Games. As Gamesindustry writes.biz, the studio in Gothenburg is waiting for a reduction in staff and a complete change of format.
In particular:
- Ghost Games branch will return the name EA Gothenburg;
- only Frostbite engine specialists will remain in the team, they will help other EA studios;
- the remaining employees of the Swedish office (about 30 people) will try to distribute to other EA studios.
The official reason for the changes, according to EA, is the poor location of the studio from Gothenburg. The publisher has been trying unsuccessfully for many years to attract talents to work on Need for Speed. At the same time, Criterion is located much better — in Guildford, one of the largest British game development centers.
One of the Ghost Games branches, Ghost Games UK, is also based in Guildford. His team will be transferred to Criterion. What will become of the third studio, Ghost Games Bucharest, is an open question.
Since 2013, Ghost has developed Need for Speed: Rivals, Need for Speed (2015), Need for Speed: Payback and Need for Speed: Heat. Almost everyone has mixed reviews. Payback was loudly criticized for the dominance of microtransactions.
Criterion also has experience working on a well-known racing series. Her relaunches Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit and Need for Speed: Most Wanted were released from 2010 to 2012. The second game did not meet the publisher’s expectations, and the studio began to have problems. In 2013, part of its staff moved to Ghost Games UK, and a year later Criterion was left by its founders. Since then, the studio has only helped DICE in working on the latest Battlefield and Battlefront.
Nevertheless, Electronic Arts assures that it is Criterion that is able to “bring Need for Speed to a new future.” The developer will deal with new Need for Speed titles for the next generation of consoles.
Recall that Criterion is also known for the Burnout series.
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