Criterion Games has been formally rebranded as Criterion: A Battlefield Studio, marking a strategic shift in the British developer's priorities. The studio, famous for the Burnout series and recent work on Need For Speed, will now focus exclusively on supporting EA's Battlefield franchise alongside three other dedicated studios.
The rebranding came as part of EA's 30th anniversary celebration for Criterion, signaling the publisher's commitment to consolidating resources around Battlefield. While Criterion has supported the military shooter since Battlefield 1 in 2015, the new structure represents a more permanent alignment with the franchise.
However, Criterion hasn't completely closed the door on returning to racing games. Studio leadership stated they're not ruling out a future return to Need For Speed, but clarified that Battlefield demands their full attention at present. The franchise transition marks a notable shift for a studio that defined arcade racing through Burnout's physics-driven destruction mechanics and spent years developing Need For Speed's more recent entries, including the 2023 reboot Need For Speed Unbound.
This consolidation reflects EA's broader strategy to concentrate multiple studios on major live-service franchises. Criterion joins other Battlefield-focused teams under a unified push to develop and support the shooter going forward. The arrangement essentially removes Criterion from the racing game space, where they've been a fixture for over two decades.
The move raises questions about Need For Speed's future direction and whether EA intends to assign racing development to another internal studio or pursue a different approach entirely. Criterion's talents in vehicle physics and destruction systems made them well-suited to the racing franchise, so the shift represents a notable loss of specialized expertise in that area.
For now, players interested in Criterion's work should expect Battlefield updates and support to take priority. Whether the studio eventually revisits the racing genre depends on EA's long-term portfolio strategy and how