Ghost Games, which took care of the last two installments, will be reorganized to be a support study from now on; 30 put in danger.
Need for Speed Heat has failed to conquer critics. It is the second recent attempt of Ghost Games to design a videogame of the saga to the height. However, the maximum of "no two without three" will not be fulfilled at the moment, since Electronic Arts has made the decision to recompose the study in another direction. Criterion, the creators of Burnout, will be responsible for channeling the future of the saga, as revealed by GamesIndustry.biz.
"With a long history and passion for racing games, as well as with the vision of what we want to create, Criterion will take Need for Speed to the next generation," Electronic Arts has published in an official statement. "Ghost Games has helped us offer some great experiences for our players." According to the company, maintaining the quality of high-budget games implies the need for “teams with diverse skills in places where they can provide support” and open the doors to new employees.
"Despite our greatest efforts to establish an independent development group in Gothenburg (Sweden) for several years, it has become clear that the breadth of talent we need to maintain an AAA study is not available here." EA believes that Criterion will be able to provide the necessary leadership to reformulate Need for Speed in the right direction. “Criterion is a fantastic studio, so we are looking forward to adding to your talented team to build a great future for Need for Speed. The engineering teams in Gothenburg will be vital to the plans under way throughout EA, ”they conclude.
30 jobs, at risk
Ghost Games, which will become EA Gothenburg, will be refocused as a support studio. "The engineering experience of our Gothenburg team, some of which are the architects of the Frostbite engine, is crucial for some of our projects under development, so they will continue to be located," an EA representative tells GamesIndustry.biz . Although the idea of the company is to relocate positions in Criterion and other studies, some works are hanging by a thread: “Beyond the engineers and others that we plan to transfer to other positions, there are 30 additional developers in Gothenburg, so we hope to relocate to the maximum possible number in other roles within the company.
Criterion Games is the author of Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit and Need for Speed: Most Wanted. Ghost Games, meanwhile, designed Need for Speed: Rivals, Need For Speed (2017), Need for Speed: Payback and Need for Speed Heat, the latter released for PS4, Xbox One and PC recently.
