Criterion’s trajectory is now pointing in a different direction than it once did. Older gamers still remember the British developer for the adrenaline‑fueled, car‑crashing chaos of the Burnout series, complete with its punk‑rock soundtrack and high‑speed mayhem. Burnout put the studio on the map, so much so that the Guildford office once displayed a sculpture of a car ripping through a wall as a tribute. That racing know‑how later fed into the Need for Speed franchise, both at Criterion and at its sister studio Ghost Games, culminating in the most recent entry, 2022’s Need for Speed Unbound.
When we visited the studio during its 30th anniversary, the sculpture was gone and many of the veterans who built that legacy had moved on. Vice‑President Matt Webster departed with a group of long‑time staff to launch Fuse Games, which is about to release the Burnout‑style Star Wars: Galactic Racer.
Former leads Fiona Sperry and Alex Ward founded Three Fields and shipped Wreckreation; Sperry now heads a successor studio, When Tides Turn, working on Wreckreation 2. A fresh logo, a re‑energised team, and a new strategic focus now define Criterion.
In 2023 the studio was officially placed under the EA Entertainment umbrella to concentrate on Battlefield. At the time, EA hinted that Criterion would keep steering future Need for Speed titles, yet that series is currently on pause while Battlefield enjoys a historic surge after the massive success of Battlefield 6. Switching from high‑octane racing to large‑scale combat might seem like a dramatic pivot, but the studio’s leadership frames it as a natural extension of its long‑standing AAA pedigree.
In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, producer Stefan Wittelsbürger emphasized that Battlefield is now Criterion’s primary mission. “We are a Battlefield studio,” he said. “With Battlefield 6 we delivered key components alongside our partners at EA Motive, Ripple Effect and DICE. Criterion has become a clear, essential pillar of the Battlefield family, and that focus drives everything we do.” He went on to explain that the studio’s heritage—its talent, its history of delivering thrilling experiences, and its unique development philosophy—has been woven directly into Battlefield 6.
Criterion is not new to the Battlefield universe. The studio contributed to Battlefield 5 in 2018 and Battlefield 2042 in 2020, but Rebecka Coutaz, VP and GM of Battlefield Studios Europe, notes that the nature of the involvement has changed.
“Previously we were brought in late in the development cycle,” she explained. “Now we’re invited to the table from day one, allowing us to imprint our strengths—instant reward, intensity, player‑centric design—throughout the entire production.” Early‑stage participation, she argues, lets Criterion make a far larger impact than a late‑stage plug‑in ever could.
With four studios collaborating on Battlefield 6, it can be difficult for outsiders to discern each team’s contributions. Wittelsbürger clarified that Criterion was heavily involved in the single‑player campaign, especially the final two missions, which earned widespread critical praise.
“We worked closely on core systems such as destruction, the combat field, weapons, hardware, and even vehicle handling,” he said. “Everything you see—from soldier behavior to how tanks feel on the road—carries our fingerprints. Our decades of experience feed into those systems, and the work we’ve done on Battlefield 6 sets the stage for even bigger things ahead.” For many long‑time fans, Criterion will always be synonymous with Burnout, yet the studio’s current leadership insists that the same DNA that made those chaotic races memorable still drives their work today.
Operations director Amy Pejic described the “Criterion fingerprint” as a blend of minute‑to‑minute feel, player momentum, controlled chaos, and spectacle—elements that appear both in Burnout and in the studio’s present‑day projects. “We aim to create moments that people will talk about for years,” she said. “It’s wonderful that Burnout still resonates, and we want to keep delivering those unforgettable experiences.” Wittelsbürger echoed that sentiment when discussing the eighth mission of Battlefield 6, Operation Ember Strike. He highlighted the visceral impact of SAM destruction, the subtle vibration of a drone, and the dramatic bomb drops—all crafted to delight players.
“That sense of awe, that spectacle, is at the heart of our design philosophy,” he explained. “It’s the same thrill we chased in Burnout, just translated to a different genre.” The shift from racing to shooters was not abrupt.
After Burnout Paradise (2008), Criterion spent several years on Need for Speed titles before lending its expertise to Battlefield 5’s Firestorm battle‑royale mode. Even earlier, the studio dabbled in first‑person shooters with the 2006 game Black. “All of these projects have shown EA that we can handle a wide variety of challenges,” Wittelsbürger noted, reinforcing Criterion’s position within Battlefield Studios. Today the studio employs 164 people—a stark contrast to the 30‑person team it had in 2017.
Staff are split between Guildford and Wilmslow, and while no one has been there for the entire three‑decade history, many have spent over ten years with the company, bringing a wealth of AAA experience from across Europe. The atmosphere during our press visit was upbeat, with employees expressing genuine excitement about contributing to a flagship release. Pejic explained that growth will be driven by project demand: “If we’re supporting a live service, growth may be modest; if a new title expands, we’ll scale accordingly.” Wittelsbürger added that the talent pipeline is expanding through internships, outreach programs, and a focus on attracting fresh perspectives.
“We want the brightest, most creative minds,” he said. “Diverse backgrounds bring new ideas, and that pluralism leads to better products because we’re not stuck in a single viewpoint.” Some observers might view Criterion’s story as a cautionary tale—a beloved indie‑spirit studio absorbed by a massive publisher and redirected toward a corporate franchise.
Yet the leadership insists the opposite is true: enthusiasm and hunger remain high. Pejic even joked that the “appetite for swag” has grown alongside morale.
“When Battlefield 6 launched, you could feel the genuine excitement in the studio,” she recalled. “We’re constantly bringing in early‑career talent, interns, and people with unique viewpoints. That blend of heritage and fresh ideas creates a healthy, dynamic environment.” Looking ahead, EA’s upper management has ambitious goals for Criterion. Rebecka Coutaz summed it up: “We want to be a British powerhouse.
Criterion has always been defined by continuous evolution, and now, as a Battlefield studio, I truly want Criterion to be regarded as the best studio in the UK. That’s the direction we’re heading.”