15-man Criterion team working on new IP

One of the most famous racing game developers, Criterion, has been rather quiet since its last game—Need for Speed: Most Wanted. The studio hasn’t been quiet because of a lack of projects, however. According to Eurogamer, Criterion’s Creative Director Alex Ward revealed over Twitter that along with 15 other staff members, the studio is working on something new.

“A small team where everyone focuses on gameplay first is better than 140 people,” Ward said. “We have felt this way for years.” In response to some of the reaction, Ward continued, “No need to be sad. It’s completely our choice and by design. Small teams do WAY more these days.”

Criterion’s now working on a new IP

Criterion was revealed to been working on a new IP back in April. This essentially means no games in the Burnout, Road Rash or Black franchises. While the studio has worked on a few Need for Speed games, such as the Most Wanted reboot and Hot Pursuit, the reigns of the franchise have since been handed over to Ghost Games, which is now working on the upcoming Need for Speed: Rivals.

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Criterion’s claim to fame has always been the Burnout series, however. The last major entry into the series was Burnout Paradise, with many of its ideas carried over into last year’s Most Wanted. In 2011, there was also a downloadable Burnout game, dubbed Burnout Crash, which was released on PlayStation Network and Xbox Live.

Criterion’s games have always had a penchant for destruction, especially the (albeit minor) destruction in Black and the Takedown mechanic from Burnout games, which also made its way into Need for Speed.