Electronic Arts announced on September 20th that Criterion Games will be no longer be part of EA Sports, and instead will fall under the banner of EA Entertainment. The video game company has been making many changes to its organizational structure lately, with the last major decision being a split between EA Games (now EA Entertainment) and EA Sports.
This restructuring, that occurred in June, led to the layoff of six percent of the EA work force, which was almost 800 employees.
The gaming industry has recently been impacted by major economic issues, which has been evident with BioWare laying off 50 of its employees, and Mimimi Games closing down.It appears EA is doing everything it can to improve its internal model, before it suffers additional damages.
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The movement of Criterion Games to EA Entertainment is the most recent way the company is trying to improve overall quality. Vince Zampella, the Group General Manager for Star Wars Jedi, Apex, Battlefield, and Need for Speed, made the official transfer announcement.
The letter to fans concerning the movement of Criterion Games discusses the studio’s success, and what can be expected with this change. According to Zampella:
“The majority of the team will be working alongside DICE, Ripple Effect, and Ridgeline that are led by Byron Beede, GM of Battlefield.
Criterion’s experience with Battlefield, our technology and building engaging experiences will have an immediate positive impact as we continue to work on Battlefield 2042, and as we continue pre-production on a connected Battlefield Universe.”
He concluded the message by assuring EA fans that Need for Speed games will continue to be developed. Criterion Games has worked on four of these titles in the past with the most recent release being, Need for Speed Unbound.
Zampella expressed his own excitement for the studio’s continued work with the racing franchise, saying that he has “a passion for cars.”
Why Criterion Games Joining EA Entertainment Could Be a Smart Move
Criterion Games was founded in 1996, and has been working on vehicle based titles since the very beginning with Scorched Planet. The studio would go on to develop several titles in the Burnout franchise, and in 2010, took on its first Need for Speed game.
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It is clear from the history of Criterion Games that the company specializes in titles that mostly require the player to operate some type of vehicle.
The studio has covered cars, boats, submarines, hoverboards, an X-Wing, and more. So, when Zampella explained that Need for Speed would not be ignored, this should have been a comfort for supporters.
While the studio may specialize in vehicular gameplay, it has not been limited while housed under Electronic Arts. In fact, as previously mentioned, EA Entertainment had Criterion Games help in the development process of Battlefield V and Battlefield 2042.
Although this was essentially just for additional work, the studio now had a hand in bringing to life other video game genres.
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How this all comes together in a potentially beneficial way for EA Entertainment, is that hopefully the minds at Criterion Games will impact the overall quality of Battlefield titles.
The last entry in the franchise, Battlefield 2042, received average reviews, while the last Criterion Game’s title, Need for Speed Unbound, garnered mostly positive feedback.
If EA Entertainment can take the success of a veteran studio like Criterion Games, and apply it to a struggling series like Battlefield, the result could be excellent. The studio has shown it can work outside the realm of racing titles, and now its attention will be focused into adding quality to a beloved FPS staple.
What do you think of Criterion Games moving to EA Entertainment and providing more help with Battlefield projects? Do you think this will substantially slow down progress on the future of Need for Speed titles? Make sure to leave a comment and let us know your thoughts.
Source: Electronic Arts
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