Five Criterion veterans depart after Need for Speed Unbound launch

There has been significant changes at EA's Criterion studio following the departure of five of its longest-serving leaders.

Matt Webster, VP and GM of Criterion, has left the studio. Webster has been with Criterion for over 23 years, and has been working for EA since 1990. He was part of the initial team responsible for the first FIFA game.

Also departing is executive producer Pete Lake, who first joined Criterion back in 1996 as an artist. He leaves alongside senior technical director Andrei Shires, a 16-year Criterion veteran. Head of studio development Alan McDairmant is also moving on after 17 years with EA, while Steve Uphill, head of content, leaves following his latest 10-year stint with the developer. All five have left to "explore new opportunities outside of EA", and comes after the release of Need for Speed Unbound.

[MaximusPrime_]

The way i see it, the future of Burnout is now buried. RIP Burnout.

[DOMination-]

MOST of the OG devs left years ago. They are now at Media Molecule or Hello Games.

Burnout hasn't has a game for over a decade we need to get over it. For most of the last 20 years, Criterion has been nothing but a support studio, providing assistance on the crappy driving sections of Battlefield games. They're dead, long gone.

5 or 6 years ago at E3 they announced a new Criterion racing IP but this bellend of a CEO has destroyed the work John Riccitiello did to try and restore what little reputation EA had.

[-Mika-]

Im not surprised. The game debut at #17 on the UK game charts. It seems the people they let go were long term and senior employees. NFS unbound felt rushed. It a good game here but EA clearly rushed the title out. There was very little marketing and the game itself is lacking features that were in previous games. EA is to blame for this game failure, not Criterion.

[Rynxie]

The lack of sales could be the whole urban hip-hop, and cartoony characters designs. Two reason why I didn't buy the game.

[franwex]

Same here. Just not my thing. I’ll play it when it gets on EA pass or whatever it’s called.

[shinoff2183]

The way the game looks graphically would be my issue. Weird cel shade look to it. Big eh

[XbladeTeddy]

Nothing wrong with the theme its Need for Speed after all. Least they tried something different instead of the standard. I think it looked good. Haven't got it yet though, waiting on a price decrease.

[Blaze929]

The lack of sales could be ASAP Rocky's pending criminal court case and 0 advertising from EA that the game is out lol

[Sgt_Slaughter]

Not to mention the NFS brand no longer carries weight.

It's a name that use to mean you were about to experience the next best racing game after the last NFS game blew your mind, and it kept going for over a decade until the wheels fell off and the franchise lost its way (you can thank EA for that one).

Now, if there's even an ounce of enjoyment in a new game, hardly anyone will want to try it because they got burned by one too many mediocre entries.

[badboyz09]

Crew 2 has been racing game

[badboyz09]

Come to rockstar we need Midnight Club

[AuraAbjure]

Midnight Club 3 DUB is legendary!

[EazyC]

Someone will come along to fill the void eventually. Bugbear (creators of Wreckfest) would probably make a great fast paced destructive car game like Burnout.

There is a market for what Burnout did.

[Ninver]

Game Over?

[Orchard]

Ironically it’s probably the best NFS game in a long time. But EA barely marketed it, essentially stealth launched it - and I think the art style doesn’t appeal to a lot of people.

It’s also ironic because the answer to their NFS problems is staring them right in the face - do a good remake of NFSU.

[CPTN MITCHELL]

All they needed to do was a remaster of need for speed underground... I'm not buying the new one because the way it looks to me is stupid