Criterion: Kotick is Wrong! We Make the Games We Want

Long-time EA studio bites back at Activision CEO

Posted by Staff
Asked yesterday how he responded to Activision CEO Bobby Kotick's comments that EA is no place for a development studio to thrive, Craig Sullivan, creative director at Criterion responded, "I don't care what he says, EA lets us make the games we want to, as long as they are fun."

Speaking with SPOnG at a hands-on for forthcoming franchise reboot, Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit, Sullivan continued,"Criterion has always tried to be as individual as possible, and we've always tried to make games that reflect who we are at any given time, games like Burnout, games like Black, and now games like Need for Speed."

Kotick opined that developers working with EA get subsumed, and become "EA Florida’, ‘EA Vancouver’, ‘EA New Jersey". Criterion has been EA owned for seven years, but still proudly bears its own name, and its own distinctive presence is clearly visible at EA's Guilford offices.

"Do I think Criterion is unique, or special in any way. No, we're just like all the other EA studios," said Sullivan.

"The reason why we're with EA is that we get to work on the games we want, they get pushed out to the largest audience possible, and we get to work with the best talent in the business on the best games in the business."

Stay tuned for our first look at Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit.

Comments

Powz 1 Oct 2010 14:00
1/4
Yeah, because Need for Speed:Shift is such a good game, oh wait it f**king sucks balls.
AllyOmega 1 Oct 2010 14:10
2/4
@Powz
... umm... Criterion Games didn't make NFS shift. Slightly Mad Studios did. Criterion made Burnout Paradise, one of the best arcade racers of this generation in my opinion. Also I thought Shift was pretty fun, it just wasnt really a NFS title.
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wahbaba 1 Oct 2010 17:24
3/4
@Powz

Get your s**t straight. Criterion is being brought in to revive the NFS franchise. They are the glorious bastards that brought us Black and the Burnout series.
NFS is awsome 1 Oct 2010 22:36
4/4
Hey dum ass Need for Speed shift was not made by Criterion it was made by Black Box, and Shift was a good game
@Powz
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