And they wonder why they're the most hated company all while doing exactly that.
This is what happens when the people running the company are completely out of touch with their audience. Got dat MBA doe.
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Criterion's Alex Ward (CD)/Fiona Sperry (SD) resign, start new studio, Crit on new IP
- Thread starter iMax
- Start date
And they wonder why they're the most hated company all while doing exactly that.
This is what happens when the people running the company are completely out of touch with their audience. Got dat MBA doe.
thehypocrite
Member
Trying to keep the worst company in the US streak alive.
There's been a direct implication from Alex Ward for ages that what they were thinking about doing next wasn't a racing game, so I'm assuming we wouldn't have seen that either way.
Hero of Legend
Member
Hopefully we will see some Wii U support again from Alex, he was one of if not THE most vocal positively about it in a big publisher, until, you know, EA happened.
To this day I think Most Wanted U is in fact (well, Deux Ex should be as well) the only game with the definitive version on Wii U by far, they put a lot of care into it.
To this day I think Most Wanted U is in fact (well, Deux Ex should be as well) the only game with the definitive version on Wii U by far, they put a lot of care into it.
SilentRacoon
Member
Another one bites the dust.
Unsurprisingly (and sadly) this image will come in handy in the years to come. I bet the next Burnout entry will be microtransactions filled up the wazoo. RIP
Unsurprisingly (and sadly) this image will come in handy in the years to come. I bet the next Burnout entry will be microtransactions filled up the wazoo. RIP
Succinct Verbosity
Member
While I'm on the subject, can you imagine if ex Studio Liverpool, Bizarre Creations and Criterion staff created a mega studio for driving games?
He's been using that hashtag since Criterion spun-off into its current state to refer to their new project.
I tried to press the button on your avatar... nothing popped out...
(see you in the future)
Dr. Kitty Muffins
Member
EA has done this repeatedly since the 90's I think.
Unless he left a while ago and was teasing his own project all along.
We'll always have Burnout Paradise.
I'm honestly not sure where these guys can land. Perhaps look at the indie route?
I honestly don't know that there is enough of a market for arcade racers anymore. So many big franchises have basically been forgotten in recent years (PGR, Ridge Racer, Everything Sega ever made, Burnout) that I'm not sure anyone wants to take a risk on one
I'm honestly not sure where these guys can land. Perhaps look at the indie route?
I honestly don't know that there is enough of a market for arcade racers anymore. So many big franchises have basically been forgotten in recent years (PGR, Ridge Racer, Everything Sega ever made, Burnout) that I'm not sure anyone wants to take a risk on one
patjburns89
Member
Black 2?!
Maybe but he was only tweeting a few days ago about Criterion's upcoming project. Seems to be sudden.
The LinkedIn resumes suggest that is actually Criterion's project.
He even asks if the team members of team zero are safe on twitter a while back.
It says right in the title that Criterion is making a new IP.
Given that Alex and Fiona are starting an indie studio, I'd also expect a new IP there.
Acidote
Member
Maybe not immediately, but I'm sure they would have tried something eventually. I don't mind the wait, but considering the course they seem to be taking I don't see them (or almost anybody) jumping from creating indie games to games with huge production values.
In most cases, if those indie games are unsuccessful they just jump out of the industry or start working for someone else. And if they're successful, they'll just keep doing those kind of games because they're making money with a lesser risk.
I'm not saying or implying they're going to make bad games at all, I'm just saying I most probably won't want to play them because they won't be my kind of thing.
All the racing developers at Criterion are working at Ghost games and Rivals is a fucking great game. Better than the abysmal Most Wanted reboot that happened, I assume, under the creative direction of Alex Ward. I'm very excited to see Ghost Games' Burnout installment, should be incredible.
Hopefully whatever the current Criterion is working on next is better than their last few NFS games and isn't Black-related, that game was and is laughably bad.
Hopefully whatever the current Criterion is working on next is better than their last few NFS games and isn't Black-related, that game was and is laughably bad.
A mix of Blur and Burnout, best of both worlds. :O
Hot Pursuit was under Alex's direction ...but I believe Most Wanted was under Matt's, the new head of Criterion.
Visualante2
Member
Could be good for Criterion you know. Studio has been around a long time, some fresh blood at the top.
Blur already had some Burnout DNA, Fireproof worked on the Barcelona track and I think some others. Ex Criterion people.
Ah, ok then. I do wonder how it'll shape up. Is iOS still something indie devs focus on first? Or would something like Steam be more of a priority now?
It depends on the developer.
I suspect we could infer what platforms they're interested in if we scroll back through their twitter accounts enough.
Criterion's game is for next-gen, but obviously now that there's just two of them they might make different choices.
I'm glad Alex and Fiona have left Criterion, so I wish them all the best.
I'd love to see a Burnout-type circuit racer, but I can understand them wanting to move away from racing.
I suppose it depends on the publisher though.
I'd love to see a Burnout-type circuit racer, but I can understand them wanting to move away from racing.
He seems to praise Nintendo a lot on Twitter, so hopefully.
I suppose it depends on the publisher though.
Nothing is confirmed, right?
Need for Speed Most Wanted was great. I guess that's a decent send off for Alex from EA, but man, the dude deserved so much better.
I'm excited to see what he ends up doing next. He's such a passionate guy. I remember for Burnout 3 he was actually on the show floor at E3 working his booth. I talked to him for about 10 minutes, and then he leans in and says real quietly, "so, do you want to see Black?"
At that E3 Black was an invite-only demo, and very few outlets were getting invites. He walked us back to where they were showing it, and the bouncer dude was hesitant to let us in, even with Alex there. Finally Alex showed him his badge and then the guy let us in. We had to stand at the back, but that demo was awesome. Such a great E3 moment.
Good luck, wherever you go, Alex.
I'm excited to see what he ends up doing next. He's such a passionate guy. I remember for Burnout 3 he was actually on the show floor at E3 working his booth. I talked to him for about 10 minutes, and then he leans in and says real quietly, "so, do you want to see Black?"
At that E3 Black was an invite-only demo, and very few outlets were getting invites. He walked us back to where they were showing it, and the bouncer dude was hesitant to let us in, even with Alex there. Finally Alex showed him his badge and then the guy let us in. We had to stand at the back, but that demo was awesome. Such a great E3 moment.
Good luck, wherever you go, Alex.
Always-honest
Banned
I'm interested in that new project
magnificent83
Member
Conspiracy theory time: To the future seems to be a recurring theme, you know what racing games are based in the future, Wipeout and FX. Alex Ward run a studio who's expertise was racing games. Obviously, futuristic racing game is incoming in.
a man can dream
That's what I thought.
I thought NFS HP was much better.
Black Republican
Member
the O.G of Burnout 
Dragoon En Regalia
Member
EA continues to be the #1 dev-phage. Only Criterion I care about releases movies, but I hope the best for Alex and Fiona. Get together with the men from Bizarre!
Nitpicky, but with Criterion it seemed more like suicide when realizing what its future was hoping to be (work on NFS forever) than EA killing it explicitly.
funkystudent
Member
I look forward to their IOS game
AlphaTwo00
Member
Technically, Playground games (Forza Horizon) is that supergroup. We know that they scooped up a lot of people from Black Rock and Bizarre when that imploded, and many places also cite that they've gotten people from Codemasters, Criterion Games, Ubisoft Reflections and Slightly Mad Studios.
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