Criterion Games: The Rise and Fall
2,609Huge thank you to Matty from Stoked for lending his voice. Check out Stoked here: youtube.com/c/StokedMatty
From being a small part of Canon and developing Renderware, Criterion Games turned the Burnout franchise into one of the biggest racing game series. Taking over Need For Speed from Black Box, they developed Hot Pursuit and Most Wanted before become a support studio under Electronic Arts.
Sources:
Interview With Criterion: https://archive.org/details/nextgen-issue-022
Burnout 2 Preview: https://web.archive.org/web/20071116060055/http://www.entertainmentopia.com/scripts/displayGame.php?id=13
Digital Foundry Hot Pursuit https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-needforspeed-tech-interview
Develop Magazine Criterion: https://issuu.com/develop/docs/dev86_web
A History of Canon: https://youtu.be/mc5HLcPItDI (canon history video)
Acclaim Gimmicks https://www.gamespot.com/articles/pigeons-to-promote-tennis-game-in-uk/1100-6030283/
Acclaim Closes: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/acclaim-shutters-offices-staffers-ushered-off-premises/1100-6106088/
Acclaim Sued: https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-apr-27-fi-rup27.5-story.html
EA Buys Criterion: https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/ea-buys-criterion-deal-includes-game-studio-and-renderware
Burnout Revenge Preview: https://www.ign.com/articles/2005/06/18/burnout-revenge-the-interview
Alex Ward Burnout Revenge Interview https://web.archive.org/web/20060206025445/https://www.gameinformer.com/News/Story/200602/N06.0201.1832.49161.htm
Most Wanted Interview https://www.gamewatcher.com/news/2012-04-09-criterion-enjoy-total-freedom-with-need-for-speed-built-multiplayer-first
Criterion Takes Over Need For Speed https://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2012/06/22/criterion-takes-over-entire-need-for-speed-series.aspx
Criterion Not Planning New Racing Titles https://web.archive.org/web/20131020181815/http://www.digitalspy.com.au/gaming/news/a473431/criterion-games-not-planning-new-need-for-speed-burnout.htmlCriterion
Founders Leave Studio
https://www.polygon.com/2014/1/3/5269474/co-founders-of-criterion-games-leave-studio
Alex Ward On Burnout’s Successor Dangerous Driving: https://youtu.be/tz0B_P2e1CM
Whatever Happened to Burnout? https://www.svg.com/145261/whatever-happened-to-the-burnout-games/
EA Gothenburg Now Ghost https://www.destructoid.com/eas-studio-in-gothenburg-is-now-called-ghost/
Ghost Now Working on Need For Speed https://www.eurogamer.net/ea-gothenberg-is-now-ghost-working-on-need-for-speed
Alex Ward Looks Back https://www.gamesradar.com/burnouts-creative-director-alex-ward-takes-us-behind-the-scenes-of-the-acclaimed-racing-series/
Project Epic Adventure: https://youtu.be/81p6v7RLqyI
Project Epic Adventure Cancelled:
https://www.pcgamer.com/criterions-extreme-sports-racing-game-is-dead/
00:00 Intro
00:43 Renderware
02:03 Criterion Games
03:07 Burnout 1
04:41 Burnout 2
06:09 Burnout 3
09:03 To Electronic Arts
09:52 Black
11:57 Burnout Revenge
14:17 Paradise
18:18 Need For Speed
19:47 Hot Pursuit (2010)
21:32 Most Wanted (2012)
23:38 The End of an Era
26:08 Conclusion
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