It’s been revealed that EA have taken the future of the Need For Speed franchise from Ghost Games and handed it to Criterion. In turn, EA will revert Ghost Games back into EA Gothenburg and will refocus the team into “an engineering hub supporting development across EA’s portfolio”.
In a statement released to GI.biz, EA stated that they’re looking to relocate as many Ghost Games employees as possible, with the majority planned to head to the UK-based Criterion. Still, up to 30 jobs are at risk, but EA have confirmed that “we would hope to place as many of them as possible into other roles in the company”.
Criterion have held the reins to the Need For Speed franchise in the past, leading development on Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit in 2010 and Need For Speed: Most Wanted in 2012. The studio was downsized in 2013, with Ghost Games handling development from then, however many employees were moved to Ghost Games, and a UK-based Ghost Games teams exists within Criterion’s offices.
EA’s statement goes on to say: “Ghost Games have helped to bring some great Need for Speed experiences to our players. Consistently delivering that at AAA levels means we need teams with diverse skills in locations where we can continually support them and bring in new team members to join. Despite our best efforts to establish an independent development group in Gothenburg over several years, it’s become clear that the breadth of talent we need to maintain a full AAA studio is just not available to us there.
“Criterion can also provide the consistent leadership that we need to continue creating and delivering new Need for Speed experiences for a long time to come. Criterion is a fantastic studio, and we’re looking forward to adding to their talented team and building a great future for Need for Speed. The engineering teams in Gothenburg are also vital to our ongoing plans across EA.”
With Criterion and Ghost Games’ history being as linked as it is, this move might be as seamless as you could hope for in the gaming industry, but we just hope that the 30 employees who are at risk will be able to find opportunities soon, whether at EA or as part of another company.
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