Criterion Founders Leave Burnout Studio to Establish a ‘New Games Company’

Criterion's co-founders Alex Ward and Fiona Sperry have left the studio to form a "new games company". 

Ward tweeted: 

The news breaks. Along with @FionaSperry I have left @CriterionGames . Welcome to the REAL #tothefuture

— Alex Ward (@AlexanderJWard) January 3, 2014

While Perry added, "So I guess it's now official!"

In a statement to Polygon an EA representative said: 

"Alex Ward and Fiona Sperry have decided to leave EA. We appreciate their many contributions through the years and wish them well in their future endeavours.

"The incredibly creative and talented team at Criterion are hard at work on a new project for next-gen consoles as new IP continues to be a major priority across EA. Matt Webster is leading development of the new game and the Criterion studio moving forward. Matt has been part of Criterion for years and has an exciting vision for this new game."

Asked to comment on the departure Ward said, "Just decided to start afresh and form a new games company with Fiona Sperry."

Their reasons for leaving are not currently known but it is likely connected to the fact that EA tasked Ghost Games with the development of Need for Speed: Rivals and most of Criterion's developers transferred to Ghosts for the project. EA bought Criterion in 2004. The studio developed Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit and Burnout Paradise among other titles.

Another EA studio, Popcap, lost its co-founder Dave Roberts yesterday.