The CEO of Respawn Entertainment, Vince Zampella, has announced that EA Entertainment has officially joined forces with Criterion Games. The reason for the merging of talent is that Criterion Games will aid EA in the development of the next Battlefield. According to Zampella, this will usher in a new era for the franchise. This is not an acquisition in the normal sense, since Criterion Games has been working under EA for almost two decades.
The Next Battlefield Will Have Criterion Games Working On It
In the past, the studio has mainly worked on racing titles only, like Need for Speed and Burnout. Some of the best entries in each franchise had been worked on by Criterion Games like Need For Speed Hot Pursuit and Burnout Paradise.
Criterion Games, based in the UK, also did play a role in the development of other titles in EA as well. Games like Battlefront II, Battlefield V, and even the recent Battlefield 2042. So Criterion is no stranger to working on titles outside its wheelhouse.
The next entry in the long-running Battlefield franchise seems to be a top priority for EA, especially after the botched launch of Battlefield 2042. And most of the studios in EA are working on the upcoming game. Studios like Ridgeline, Ripple Effect, DICE, and the newly added Criterion Games, are all playing a part in the next game in the series.
Vince Zampella had this to say on Criterion Games’ involvement with the next Battlefield game:
Vince Zampella had this to say on Criterion Games’ involvement with the next Battlefield game:
Today I’d like to share that the talented team at Criterion Games will be joining EA Entertainment … As we’ve said before, we’re all-in on Battlefield. Today, Criterion is added to our world-class Battlefield studios dedicated to ushering in a new era for the franchise … As we continue pre-production on a connected Battlefield Universe. There is no better studio to join us on this journey and I couldn’t be more excited.
EA Press Release
The astute among you may have noticed that hidden in all the positivity was a statement regarding the “Battlefield Universe”. A connected Battlefield Universe at this point does not make much sense since not many of the games have memorable characters that can all exist in the same universe. But maybe, with future entries in the franchise characters can inhabit a shared universe with some potential crossovers.
