Riccitiello confirms Criterion NFS game

By Tom Bramwell Published 11 June, 2009

And his mate has seen Battlefield 3.

Electronic Arts boss John Riccitiello has said that Criterion is working on a "revolutionary take on Need for Speed", while EA COO John Pleasants has confirmed DICE is working on Battlefield 3.

Riccitiello had been clarifying that Burnout and Need for Speed wouldn't merge when he told Kotaku, "We don't have a plan right now for a separate major launch on Burnout, because the team doing it is working on a revolutionary take on Need for Speed."

Meanwhile, EA COO John Pleasants, speaking at an investor conference, said, "I've had the luxury of looking at Battlefield 3 over at DICE in Sweden... Of course, that's not in the [current] fiscal year, but that is a product that is looking very good."

BF3 was perhaps inevitable, while confirmation of Criterion's Need for Speed validates all those rumours from the back end of 2008. Riccitiello also paid tribute to Criterion's Alex Ward. He's "one of the people in the industry I would analogise to the great filmmakers," Riccitiello said.

"He is a true creative visionary. We had a great fight about what the next Need For Speed would be like. Of course, he gets to win because it's his call. It's not that I'm without an opinion on it."

In the meantime, the studio's commendable support for the excellent Burnout Paradise continues with today's release of Big Surf Island.

There's no word on how far out Criterion's NFS game is, but we have Slightly Mad Studios' Need for Speed: Shift to look forward to on 18th September first, and the Wii/DS Need for Speed: Nitro, while there's also no word on the fate of Black Box's own secret NFS game.

Is there anyone left at EA not working on Need for Speed? We should be told.

Picture of Tom.

About Tom Bramwell

Tom is Operations director of Eurogamer Network and Editor-at-Large of Eurogamer.net. He joined the company in February 2000.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Bramwell archive page.

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Comments (18) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Eldritch #1 3 years ago

    Criterion are EA's Blizzard and EA turned NFS into the next Tomb Raider.

  • Doctor_What #2 3 years ago

    He's "one of the people in the industry I would analogise to the great filmmakers," Riccitiello said.
    He's tempremental, will throw his toys out the pram when he doesn't get his way, has zero social skills, and makes all his staff work themselves to death? Yep, that's about right.

  • Milbe #3 3 years ago

    Burnout paradise without the crash/jump/chase/free world crap could be a pure racing Burnout 2 reboot? Let's hope.

  • YourMessageHere #4 3 years ago

    What's the betting this John Pleasants bloke is actually talking about BF1943 or BF Heroes or Bad Company 2 and simply doesn't know the difference? I'd not trust anyone talking at an investors conference to know anything about anything other than finance.

  • shamblemonkee #5 3 years ago

    When it comes ot Riccitiello he seems to know his stuff, i like what he's done to EA for the mos tpart.

  • Apostle #6 3 years ago

    Battlefield 3! Official! YES!!

  • Triggerhappytel #7 3 years ago

    Boo, I would rather Criterion focus on a new Burnout instalment than have to make Need for Speed. Besides, I thought EA were taking it down a sim-like route, with Shift and all?

  • LOLLERS #8 3 years ago

    "He is a true creative visionary. We had a great fight about what the next Need For Speed would be like. Of course, he gets to win because it's his call. It's not that I'm without an opinion on it."

    haha what a cunt.

  • Ziggy_badMonkey #9 3 years ago

    He's "one of the people in the industry I would analogise to the great filmmakers," Riccitiello said.

    Bloody hell...I laughed so hard I nearly passed a kidney stone.
    If JR had any idea what Ward is really like I would hope he'd give him the boot.
    Obnoxious, Egotistical and the way he speaks to and treats staff is a joy to behold! (having worked with him in the past)
    The sooner people like Ward are removed from positions of power the better it would be for all development teams in the industry.
    Criterions pas success was due to collaboration not the vision of one man (or excuse for one)
    Most of the Burnout team left after Paradise anyways with only maybe 10 people left from the original burnout after having had enough of the aforementioned Alex Ward.
    The Art Director left as well as one of the Creative Directors (and the entire world art team) and I believe all the members of the audio teams from Burnout & Black have moved onto greener pastures.
    Not got much faith in them producing anything groundbreaking...Criterion as it was is dead.......
    Edited by 1 at 11/06/09 @ 12:33

  • Ryze #10 3 years ago

    I know that Black Box and Criterion are excellent - so I'll be looking out for these games...

  • Doctor_What #11 3 years ago

    @ Ziggy_badMonkey:

    I know exactly what you mean. Ward was singly responsible for making Criterion a bloody miserable place to work. Lots of decent, incredibly talented people were let down by a complete twunt in charge who would do everything in his power to make everyone's life a misery.

    Riccitello (or Fiona Sperry, head of the UK studio) please, for the sake of Criterion, get rid of Ward or put a muzzle and a leash on him. Let the teams do their jobs and get Ward to stop verbally abusing everyone who works below him.

  • Grom #12 3 years ago

    ALEX WARD IS A MASSIVE CUNT

  • Doctor_What #13 3 years ago

    Hahahaha :) Are you trying to get this comments thread into Google?

  • Ziggy_badMonkey #14 3 years ago

    @ Doctor_What

    What gets my goat is that EA prizes itself on a workplace where verbal and physiological bullying is taken very seriously but for some reason AW has been allowed to get away with stuff that would seriously damage EA's corporate image.
    I have seen some of this first hand and it is downright disgusting that he is still employed no matter what his track record as CDirector.
    Some of the most talented people in the industry at sometime worked at Criterion but there's only so much you can take.
    Fiona (as well as senior management)is well aware of his working practices and attitude but continues to ignore it.



  • LOLLERS #15 3 years ago

    Fiona (as well as senior management)is well aware of his working practices and attitude but continues to ignore it.

    Presumably because she was married to him.

    Maybe she won't be so tolerant in future, from what i've heard.

    I find it very hard to speak to people that still say 'oh he's good at what he does though isn't he.' No. No he isn't.

  • ExplodingClown #16 3 years ago

    I'd buy a new Need for Speed game if it had Burnout's damage modelling and dropped all that 'You Da Man Now Dogg' crap.

    This Ward guy sounds like an utter cunt, though.

  • HornedGod #17 3 years ago

    This is just too funny.

    I have to concur with Mr Ward being an absolute dick to work with.

    Riccitiello's comment has made my day though.
    Edited by 1 at 11/06/09 @ 19:06

  • DiscoDoktor #18 2 years ago

    Doctor_What .......is not the online Game Designer who uses the name Discodoktor who worked at Criterion. I am.

    I find it distressing that this poster who is obviously pretending to be me would be so thoughtless towards me.

    I have great respect for Alex and what he has done for UK games development. He has proven to many gamers that he is a great Designer and Creative Director. I have too have throughly enjoyed all of his games. I loved working at Criterion and EA.

    Please can that coward poster think twice before prentending to be someone else.