Despite Criterion Games effectively being reduced in staff and wanting to move on from developing Need for Speed games, studio director Fiona Sperry revealed that it sent its own staff members over to Need for Speed Rivals developer Ghost Games on its own, without any incentive from EA.
“Criterion has always been about doing our own games so it was never the long term plan for us to stay doing Need for Speed. That’s not our game. We lent some people (artists and engineers primarily) to Ghost as when you’re making something new you don’t need a whole team of people – we didn’t need them, Ghost did – so it all just made sense. [It] wasn’t something EA ‘asked’ us to do.
“My management team at Criterion sorted it out with the management team at Ghost. That’s how things work at EA these days. Teams work together, coordinate sharing of people as it suits where projects are at.” Otherwise, Criterion likes “being a small team” and wants to stay that way “as long as possible. Our best games and ideas come about when we work this way.”
Need for Speed: Rivals releases on PS3, PC and Xbox 360 November 19, with next-gen launches for Xbox One and PS4.