Many were eagerly waiting to see what a Need for Speed game under Criterion’s expertise would look like, but Need for Speed Unbound was not the comeback most had hoped for, despite some positive reviews.
Additionally, a long line of Criterion veterans, who have been around since the Burnout days, were quick to leave the developer after launch, and have now formed a new studio. As VGC reports, it’s called Fuse Games and is led by Criterion’s former general manager Matt Webster.
Their first game is one “brand new premium AAA title” that will “fuse uncompromising attention to game-feel with blockbuster spectacle and player-centric innovations in social gameplay, self-expression, and creativity”.
The question is, how much competence does Criterion actually have left today, and can they ever be as popular again as they were in the Burnout era (before EA bought them out)?
