Overview
- EA and Criterion have confirmed the UK studio is now focused exclusively on Battlefield work and the company has been publicly labeled "Criterion: A Battlefield Studio."
- The studio shift means there is no active development announced for a new Need for Speed game and the franchise is effectively on hold for the foreseeable future.
- Reporters and commentators criticized the move as a corporate consolidation that narrows creative autonomy and sidelines racing fans while live‑service projects take priority.
- Coverage notes a market contrast where arcade racers like Forza Horizon and Ubisoft’s The Crew continue to draw players, and it warns that Battlefield 6’s weak post‑launch player retention raises the risk of concentrating on one franchise.
- This decision follows EA’s recent pattern of refocusing acquired studios on flagship IPs, such as aligning Codemasters to F1, and it could lead longtime developers and fans to seek new homes for racing projects and talent.