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Putty · Nov 30, 2015

http://www.develop-online.net/news/...s-battlefront-s-speeder-bike-sections/0214259

"Burnout studio hints at contribution towards EA's best-selling sci-fi multiplayer title

UK developer Criterion has revealed that it was responsible for select sections of recent hit Star Wars Battlefront.

VideoGamer spotted the studio's tweet last week indicating that it was the creative talent behind the Endor speeder bike chases that hark back to the iconic scene from Return of the Jedi.

The site also confirmed that Criterion is listed in the credits for the popular sci-fi multiplayer blockbuster."

PetriP-TNT · Nov 30, 2015

Not sure what I feel about this. RIP Burnout? I guess it's good to do other things than NFS

Is their new IP still coming?

TimmiT · Nov 30, 2015

PetriP-TNT said:
Not sure what I feel about this. RIP Burnout?

They've been working on a new IP for some time now. Alex Ward started his own studio and is going to make a spiritual successor to Burnout 3 though, so there's that.

Jawmuncher · Nov 30, 2015

I would have kept that underwraps. Not like the speeder sections were particularly impressive.

Ninja Sharingan · Nov 30, 2015

It's a shame that great studios worked on this game and there's a large sentiment that it is light on content.

FriedConsole · Nov 30, 2015

I have been playing this game a lot and I have no idea what are the speeder bike sections? Is that in the "single player"?

PetriP-TNT · Nov 30, 2015

TimmiT said:
They've been working on a new IP for some time now. Alex Ward started his own studio and is going to make a spiritual successor to Burnout 3 though, so there's that.

Yeah I remembered the new IP just after I posted that. What kinds of manpower does Criterion have? They are doing the yearly NFS rehashes, helping Dice and whatnot.

Triggerhappytel · Nov 30, 2015

Ninja Sharingan said:
It's a shame that great studios worked on this game and there's a large sentiment that it is light on content.

On the other hand, the complete edition coming out around this time next year should be a solid purchase.

Ninja Sharingan · Nov 30, 2015

Triggerhappytel said:
On the other hand, the complete edition coming out around this time next year should be a solid purchase.

Oh yeh. The gameplay seems really fun, but too many issues etc. I'll get the ultimate edition for sure tho

EatChildren · Nov 30, 2015

There's only one bike chase.

I wonder what else they contributed to.

Mik2121 · Nov 30, 2015

Jawmuncher said:
I would have kept that underwraps. Not like the speeder sections were particularly impressive.

Really? I thought it was quite fun :/

Ninja Sharingan said:
Oh yeh. The gameplay seems really fun, but too many issues etc. I'll get the ultimate edition for sure tho

Besides some iffy spawn points in some instances, what issues? I have the game but I don't think I've run into many issues (not even the invincibility bug)

TimmiT · Nov 30, 2015

PetriP-TNT said:
Yeah I remembered the new IP just after I posted that. What kinds of manpower does Criterion have? They are doing the yearly NFS rehashes, helping Dice and whatnot.

The new NFS games are now being done by Ghost Games, which iirc has former Criterion people. Current Criterion is smaller than they used to be, but it does seem like the new IP has been their main focus. I doubt that developing the speeder bike sections in Battlefront took too much attention away from them developing that game. Or at least I hope it didn't.

But yeah, I don't really remember using the speeder bike that much in the game outside of maybe one or two times on one map. That and the tutorial mission. Kinda weird that they got Criterion to develop this one bit that's such a small part of the game. Though I guess they might make more use of the speeder bikes in the DLC.

PetriP-TNT · Nov 30, 2015

TimmiT said:
The new NFS games are now being done by Ghost Games, which iirc has former Criterion people. Current Criterion is smaller than they used to be, but it does seem like the new IP has been their main focus. I doubt that developing the speeder bike sections in Battlefront took too much attention away from them developing that game. Or at least I hope it didn't.

But yeah, I don't really remember using the speeder bike that much in the game outside of maybe one or two times on one map. That and the tutorial mission. Kinda weird that they got Criterion to develop this one bit that's such a small part of the game. Though I guess they might make more use of the speeder bikes in the DLC.

Wikipedia claims that half of their (then current) staff was working with Battlefield: Hardline while the other half was working with the new IP, so that really makes me wonder about the splits, especially with the Ghost Games thrown in the mix.

Then again it's EA so I guess manpower is not one of their biggest worries.

SkullplateMurray · Nov 30, 2015

They're still working on that new IP: http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2...n-helped-make-star-wars-battlefronts-speeders

Phat Michael · Nov 30, 2015

I particularly like respawning and getting run over by a speeder bike instantly!

SuperBanana · Nov 30, 2015

EatChildren said:
There's only one bike chase.

I wonder what else they contributed to.

Hell, I'm still trying to figure out what DICE contributed to the game.

Lifejumper · Nov 30, 2015

SuperBanana said:
Hell, I'm still trying to figure out what DICE contributed to the game.

Its a miracle the game isnt broken. Im guessing they went content locked months ago and spent time polishing it. They cant delay the game.

Triggerhappytel · Nov 30, 2015

Mik2121 said:
Besides some iffy spawn points in some instances, what issues? I have the game but I don't think I've run into many issues (not even the invincibility bug)

We're talking more about the lack of content, which I'm sure the Season Pass will address adequately, making the Complete Edition with everything bundled in a really good purchase.

SomedayTheFire · Nov 30, 2015

PetriP-TNT said:
Yeah I remembered the new IP just after I posted that. What kinds of manpower does Criterion have? They are doing the yearly NFS rehashes, helping Dice and whatnot.

Criterion as we knew it is dead a long time. Most of their staff was folded into Ghost Games (they're the ones doing the NFS titles). As of 2014 there was only 25 members of staff on their books and about half of them helped out on Battlefront: Hardline and NFS: Rivals.

Edit: beaten and bruised like most EA studios.

Roussow · Nov 30, 2015

EatChildren said:
There's only one bike chase.

I wonder what else they contributed to.

I mean, the speeders are present in multiplayer, I guess they just worked on the controls and feel of the speeder bikes. It's admittedly not a massive task, but this is hardly a massive announcement that they were major co-developers on the game. It's likely they were just bought on for that one specific task, being under the EA umbrella. Perhaps they touched the aerial vehicles, too? That's less in their wheelhouse, but I can't think of anything else that they specifically would have been suited to.

Soul_Pie · Nov 30, 2015

I know EA seem bizarrely averse to releasing remasters but they're often a great chance to test the waters with an old franchise and just gauge interest. Giving Burnout Takedown a shiny new coat of paint would introduce the series to another generation of gamers, and for me personally I'd buy it in a flash. Seems a complete waste to have a studio of the quality of Criterion doing bits and pieces for other EA games.

PetriP-TNT · Nov 30, 2015

SkullplateMurray said:
They're still working on that new IP: http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2...n-helped-make-star-wars-battlefronts-speeders

That newspiece says that they were working on it a year ago.

SomedayTheFire said:
Criterion as we knew it is dead a long time. Most of their staff was folded into Ghost Games (they're the ones doing the NFS titles). As of 2014 there was only 25 members of staff on their books and about half of them helped out on Battlefront: Hardline and NFS: Rivals.

Edit: beaten and bruised like most EA studios.

Exactly, thus I really don't except the new IP ever to materialize.

sixteen-bit · Nov 30, 2015

At least they're keeping busy

pizzacat · Nov 30, 2015

My dad told me how big this stuff was in the 80s. I never knew it would come back like this

Ingueferroque · Nov 30, 2015

Played it only once but thought it was exhilerating.

speedomodel · Nov 30, 2015

I wouldn't brag about that...

Magical Sound Shower · Nov 30, 2015

I'm a bit lost, is this in the single player tutorial? The Ender moon map has those bikes but the stages are very small and so busy, you never really get to use them much at all

WeylandxYutani · Nov 30, 2015

I knew there was a reason that I kept slamming into trees

TimmiT · Nov 30, 2015

PetriP-TNT said:
Wikipedia claims that half of their (then current) staff was working with Battlefield: Hardline while the other half was working with the new IP, so that really makes me wonder about the splits, especially with the Ghost Games thrown in the mix.

Then again it's EA so I guess manpower is not one of their biggest worries.

I just looked and I can't find any source that says that half of the team worked on Hardline. The only source listed for Criterion having worked on the game is this, which doesn't say anything about how many of their team worked on it.

antitrop · Nov 30, 2015

Those sections were pretty lame. All the single-player stuff was lame.

Winterblink · Nov 30, 2015

EatChildren said:
There's only one bike chase.

I wonder what else they contributed to.

Someone from DICE probably called them up and went "Hey, how did you make it feel like you were going really really fast in Burnout?"

StevieP · Nov 30, 2015

FriedConsole said:
I have been playing this game a lot and I have no idea what are the speeder bike sections? Is that in the "single player"?

Yeah it's in that training subsection, not the multiplayer matches

Xbudz · Nov 30, 2015

I would play an entire game focused on the speeder bikes. I really enjoyed that part, it's criminally too short though.

Elitist1945 · Nov 30, 2015

It lasted like a whole two minutes, so congrats I guess? I mean it WAS fun while it lasted...

Kosma · Nov 30, 2015

pizzacat said:
My dad told me how big this stuff was in the 80s. I never knew it would come back like this

Street Fighter?

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