Battlefield development team joined by Criterion

Need for Speed developer added to Battlefield task force

The development team creating the successor to the failed Battlefield 2042 is growing: EA’s Vince Zampella has announced that Criterion would join the task force to bring the franchise back on track going forward.

Criterion Games’ latest title was Need for Speed: Unbound, which got solid grades from critics and players. It previously did work on Battlefield 2042, Battlefield 5, and Star Wars: Battlefront 2 as well, where it was responsible for the titles space battles, so the developers have experience with helping out on DICE’s shooters.

“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,” Zampella stated in a blog post announcing the move. Criterion joins DICE, Ripple Effect, and Ridgeline in this project. 

Battlefield 2042 had a troubled launch it could never quite recover from / EA

“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,” he continued.

A small part of the team will continue to support Need for Speed and explore some options for the racing series’ future, but it’s clear that Battlefield will be the main priority for the studio in the next couple of years. EA has other options as well now when it comes to studios experienced in making racing titles, since it acquired Codemasters in 2021.

Criterion recently added a new 16-player co-op mode to Need for Speed: Unbound, building on its solid fundamentals. Our review of the 2022 game called it “the best NFS in a decade.” We have some Need for Speed: Unbound tips and a list of the fastest cars in each tier as well.