The Burnout paradise was one of the greatest racing game franchises of all time- I maintain that to this day. Arguably the best racing game ever made was Burnout 3: Takedown, and Revenge and Paradise were incredible too. Sadly, the shrinking market for racing games meant that the series ultimately got put on the backburner- though, thankfully, the re-release of Burnout Paradise thanks to its remaster recently, there is hope the series might return some day.
Speaking to VG247, Criterion GM and executive producer Matt Webster noted that whatever Criterion does next might end up being inspired in some ways by Burnout Paradise– the last Burnout game ever released, and a game that ended up becoming far ahead of its time, with its emphasis on online, social gameplay.
“The opportunities we have here and the things we are making are informed by where we’ve been in the past,” he said. “That’s why going back in time with a game like Burnout Paradise is so interesting. I can chart our history, and I can also see inspiration in there that we would imagine in different game types in the future. I don’t know – well, I do know, but I’m not going to tell you – what our future holds.”
Criterion is an incredibly talented studio, that deserves far more than being reduced to a satellite for support on a Star Wars Battlefront game- at its peak, it was one of the best, most unmatched developers in the industry. I can only hope EA will let them spread their wings again and fly unfettered. Meanwhile, you can show them there is still a demand for what Criterion does by picking up Burnout Paradise Remastered for PS4, Xbox One, and PC.
