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Layoffs at Ghost Games UK, unannounced NFS title put on hold

Q

Quentyn

Member
The Guildford, Surrey offices of Ghost Games, a branch of the relatively recently rebranded EA Gothenburg studio responsible for Need for Speed: Rivals, was hit by layoffs this week and development on a new, unannounced Need for Speed title put on hold, multiple sources tell Polygon.

Electronic Arts earlier this week let go of their contractors at the office and told full-time staffers they could either take compensation and leave or continue working in the office to support work on Visceral's rumored police-themed Battlefield title, code-named Havana. Sources say Havana is due out later this year.
Click to expand...

There still will be a NFS game this year, but it will come from the main Ghost Games studio in Gothenburg.

http://www.polygon.com/2014/2/1/536...es-uk-office-unannounced-nfs-title-mothballed
 
Y

ymmv

Banned
It's only a matter of time till Criterion Games is gone completely. Most people working in Guildford, Surrey were moved to Ghost Games which is now seeing layoffs. The founders are gone, most of the work force has been fired. Only 17 people are left, supposedly working on a new game.
 
Acquiescence

Acquiescence

Member
I6f03.jpg


Another one bites the dust.
 
R

Rolf NB

Member
Criterion was the only entity within EA that made a decent racing game in almost ever. Like, the last 20 years.
 
W

w1gglyjones

Member
ymmv said:
Most of those sales were from Battlefield and FIFA, not NFS.

NFS:Rivals is a good game. It plays like Burnout Paradise.
Click to expand...

Not really the point I was making, i.e. wasn't commenting directly on any specific game's performance, just the studio closure and EA's overall health.
 
O

Orniletter

Banned
It borders on selfparody at this point .

Seriously, everyone talks about how EA basically has the opposite of the Midas touch and how everything they look at turns to shit and how they suck the blood/life out of every developer they own/purchase.

It reads like Internet hyperbole, but it is absolutely true
 
C

CoffeeGames

Member
Nokterian said:
So they moved people from Criterion games to there and now firing a bunch of them? Goddamn EA.
Click to expand...

Unprecedented employment opportunities! They will do whatever they can, to make cookie-cutter games, despite trying to claim the opposite.

And apparently, they can't even get their cookie recipes right after 3 years in the kitchen (NBA Live '14, anybody)?
 
I

iMax

Member
Joni said:
Should have stayed at Criterion.
Click to expand...

I don't think they exactly had a choice. A lot of people don't seem to realise that Ghost Games UK basically is Criterion. neo-Criterion is basically a new studio founded by ex-Criterion staffers.

I realise this makes no sense but it's actually true.
 
F

Frodo

Member
Criterion made the only EA game I bought in years. And the last one I'll ever buy from this company.
 
N

Newlove

Member
Damn...I really enjoy NFS: Rivals. That sucks, I hope the future of the franchise isn't in trouble and the talented staff hit by this continue to work on great games.
 
S

SolidSnakex

Member
Does that mean that EA isn't going to release a NFS game this year? Ghost UK and Sweden collaborated on Rivals. So, i'd expect that the same would be the case with this. And from what I recall the Swedish studio was relatively small, so I don't think they could build a full NFS game on their own.
 
T

ThoughtsOfSpeaking

Banned
Rivals was the best NFS and the best Criterion game of the bunch.

But it wasnt even fit to lick Takedowns boots.


Goodnight sweet prince, you gave me some of the best racing memories of the last 2 (and quite possibly this one too) generations.
 
N

Nethaniah

Member
ThoughtsOfSpeaking said:
Rivals was the best NFS and the best Criterion game of the bunch.

But it wasnt even fit to lick Takedowns boots.


Goodnight sweet prince, you gave me some of the best racing memories of the last 2 (and quite possibly this one too) generations.
Click to expand...

What world do you live in? Not this one that's for sure, Rivals was shit, at best as good as Carbon and Pro-Street.

They deserve to be shut down for releasing this piece of trash and fuck EA for ruining Criterion just to have more people work on these terrible NFS releases.
 
purpletentacle

purpletentacle

Member
So, wait, EA set up TWO Ghost studios!? Wouldn't one be enough??? Considering the team was unproven and had yet to ship a game, expanding the studio to another country is a total waste of money.

Also, does anyone have sales numbers for Rivals?
 
S

SolidSnakex

Member
slothmoney said:
So, wait, EA set up TWO Ghost studios!? Wouldn't one be enough??? Considering the team was unproven and had yet to ship a game, expanding the studio to another country is a total waste of money.

Also, does anyone have sales numbers for Rivals?
Click to expand...

The UK Ghost studio was established by a bunch of people that left Criterion, most of them worked on the previous Hot Pursuit and Most Wanted. The Swedish studio was new, but their employees had worked on everything from Forza Horizon to PGR.
 
X

XTERC

Member
Whoever is responsible for the core coding of Criterion software needs to stay. As a consumer I knew if a game was made by Criterion it would be technically capable. I used to love their podcasts too.
 
B

Bluenova

Neo Member
This is fucking bullshit- can't see how Rivals was not a success..

I think racing or arcade racing is in a general trend of decline, projections should be moderate.. also not like NFS title benefits from annual releases.. I took a break after Hot Pursuit in 2011.

I totally hope EVO / firespite can help these talented guys land safely.
also fwiw I hated Burnout Paradise for a long time, like a resentment because it didn't continue the prior games formula. Eventually tho it became a favorite when i accepted it for what it was.
and generally the driving mechanics were more fun. Kitano Touge all day lol
 
P

Pikma

Banned
"Look at those dumbasses at Nintendo, taking pay cuts left and right to reduce costs, us? we get rid of the problem direcly, by firing entire teams instead muahahaha"
 
I

iMax

Member
SolidSnakex said:
The UK Ghost studio was established by a bunch of people that left Criterion, most of them worked on the previous Hot Pursuit and Most Wanted. The Swedish studio was new, but their employees had worked on everything from Forza Horizon to PGR.
Click to expand...

Wrong way round.
 
purpletentacle

purpletentacle

Member
SolidSnakex said:
The UK Ghost studio was established by a bunch of people that left Criterion, most of them worked on the previous Hot Pursuit and Most Wanted. The Swedish studio was new, but their employees had worked on everything from Forza Horizon to PGR.
Click to expand...

What a waste of cash. All these people should have been under one roof.

That said, sorry to hear about the layoffs.
 
Q

Quentyn

Member
SolidSnakex said:
Does that mean that EA isn't going to release a NFS game this year? Ghost UK and Sweden collaborated on Rivals. So, i'd expect that the same would be the case with this. And from what I recall the Swedish studio was relatively small, so I don't think they could build a full NFS game on their own.
Click to expand...

It is possible, but I would be surprised if there won't be a NFS this year. I suspect that Rivals, at least in the later stages, was mainly a Ghost Games UK effort. So the studio in Sweden could be working on the new game for awhile, and it is possible that they hired up to a point now so that they can get the game out this year. The question will be what is after that. The future of Need for Speed as yearly franchise is definitely up for debate.
 
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