Criterion’s Alex Ward has taken to Twitter to announce that he’s “not doing any” racing games. That rules out the rumoured Need For Speed Underground reboot, but it also rules out any Need For Speed game. Oh, and any Burnout game too.
As picked up by VG247, Ward said that although “some folks are eternally disappointed” there’s “nothing [he] can do about that”, referring to the requests for Burnout, Road Rash et al. “Whilst I love all of those games, I am personally not doing any,” he added.
“After over a decade of making racing games it’s time to make something new. It is early days thus I have nothing to ‘announce’ or talk about.”
This doesn’t mean that Criterion aren’t making any racers, but it does look like the studio’s creative director is opting for a new direction. It also doesn’t rule out anything racing for the future.
“I am proud of all of the Burnout games,” he added. “When it feels right we will make another one. We are creative people.”
“I will do my best to keep folks in the loop who want to follow what we play or what inspires us,” Ward said. “Or what we might be listening to. But if you are following me expecting some Megaton of a new Burnout game, or an Underground remake then I have to disappoint you.”
Update: Ward has even further clarified that he really does mean that he won’t be doing any racing games. Criterion is bigger than just one man though, so the studio might have something in the works aside from his project.
Tuffcub
Well at least if they do a FPS (and they will) it may be half decent.
KeRaSh
Wow, for a second I thought Criterion could make a pretty cool game in any genre, because they’re a very talented bunch, but the thought of them working on an FPS game crushed any hopes I had in me…
ron_mcphatty
Didn’t they do Black? I thought that was pretty good.
Crazy_Del
Yeah they did but don’t think they will do Black II though I could be wrong.
Black on PS2 was beautiful with some nice graphics and destructible environments. Still got the game mind =)
gazzagb
Bodycount was meant to be a ‘spiritual sucessor’, don’t know if it was made by the same Dev team though that made Black.
gazzagb
*successor
freezebug2
I think that they are basically a bit pissed off with the reception received for the last few racing games released as they were probably hoping for a piece of the big love that Burnout Paradise rightly achieved, but it was always going to a tough act to follow through and many have failed. Still…. good games all the same!
freezebug2
*going to be
ron_mcphatty
You could be right, I loved Hot Pursuit but I get the feeling the general reception was only Luke warm compared to Paradise. It’s the curse of success I suppose, Paradise could well be the pinnacle of their racing projects. There’s still one ace up the sleeve though, blessed Crash Mode.