Criterion is back on Battlefield - but Need for Speed isn't dead, promise!
After seemingly being done with Battlefield, Need for Speed stewards at Criterion Games are once again back on the Battlefield grind.
EA has announced that it's bringing Criterion Games back into the Battlefield fold. The team is joining the EA Entertainment group, overseen by Respawn co-founder Vince Zampella.
The majority of the team at Criterion will be working on Battlefield projects, alongside DICE, Ripple Effect, and Ridgeline. EA didn't say exactly what game Criterion will be working on, but it sounds like the studio will be supporting other leading teams.
EA is currently in pre-production on what it calls a Battlefield Universe, which will presumably include more than one game/experience from the studios involved. Criterion is, of course, no stranger to Battlefield.
The team lent its expertise with car handling to DICE during the development of Battlefield 5. It was also responsible for that game's ill-fated Firestorm battle royale mode. The studio contributed to other Battlefield games over the years, thanks to its knowledge with the Frostbite engine. This could indicate that Battlefield will not be moving to a new engine.
After a stint essentially acting as a support studio, Criterion was finally allowed to work on a new Need for Speed game, which gave us the brilliant (but flawed) Need for Speed Unbound, which came out in 2022.
Since then, no announcements about a sequel, or even any sort of follow-up, were made. The good news, at least, is that is that Need for Speed is not dead. The announcement press release said that Zampella - who now also oversees Need for Speed - will be "working with a core group as we shape what’s next for the franchise."