Electronic Arts has been working on many things recently, and not all of it has been simple. They’re not just making games right now. They’re trying to restructure their company and outlook so they can focus on making the best games possible. To that end, they have decided to merge the team from Criterion Games into the grander fold of EA Entertainment. What does that mean? Simply put, they will be put into the larger umbrella of EA titles, with the team now apparently focusing on the Battlefield franchise. EA released a statement about this today on is website and had this to say about the new merger:
“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. The majority of the team will be working alongside DICE, Ripple Effect, and Ridgeline that are led by Byron Beede, GM of Battlefield. Criterion’s experience with Battlefield, our technology and building engaging experiences will have an immediate positive impact as we continue to work on Battlefield 2042, and 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.”
The other franchise that Criterion Games is known for was some of the original Need for Speed titles. To be clear, that doesn’t touch the more recent entries that haven’t done well commercially, that was Ghost Games. Criterion “got back control” of the franchise, and they recently posted on Twitter that they were looking for new people to help join their team and make the new games in the franchise.
As for Battlefield, that will be interesting regarding how they might be able to help. It’s easy to forget that this franchise is supposed to contend with Call of Duty and yet doesn’t even come close to it. The recent games especially have been divisive, such as with their 2042 title that was incredibly buggy at launch and failed to live up to the potential that past series entries had. EA has said recently that this franchise was one that they wanted to focus on to expand the online community it has birthed.
That might be the main reason why EA is bringing in Criterion: to not only ensure the quality of the title but also try and build up the community that is within it. Only time will tell if it works.
