adminCriterion Games has moved well beyond the high-speed crashes and punk-rock soundtrack of Burnout. Today, Battlefield is the British studio’s main focus, and its leaders say the design instincts behind its racing games still shape how it creates action, spectacle and memorable player moments.
Criterion Games and its growing role in Battlefield
Criterion’s identity has changed since Burnout helped establish its reputation. The studio later worked on Need for Speed, including 2022’s Need for Speed Unbound, and contributed to several Battlefield projects. In 2023, it was formally placed under EA Entertainment with a specific focus on Battlefield.
The change in direction comes as Battlefield has reached a major high point following the success of Battlefield 6. Rather than joining a project near completion, Criterion was involved from the early stages. Rebecka Coutaz, VP and GM of Battlefield Studios Europe, says that early involvement allowed the team to bring its strengths into development sooner.
Criterion contributed to Battlefield 6 alongside EA Motive, Ripple Effect and DICE. Producer Stefan Wittelsbürger says the studio worked extensively on the single-player campaign, including its final two missions, as well as core systems and gameplay elements. Its work covered destruction, combat, weapons, equipment and vehicle handling.
Image credit: Battlefield Studios/EA
For readers interested in how large games are made, this kind of multi-studio development can make individual contributions hard to identify. Criterion’s involvement shows how expertise in movement, impact and player feedback can carry over from racing games into a first-person shooter.
The Burnout legacy in Criterion Games’ work
Although the studio’s current work is focused on combat, its leadership sees a clear connection to Burnout. Director of operations Amy Pejic describes the studio’s lasting approach as a focus on responsive moment-to-moment play, momentum, controlled chaos and striking set pieces.
Those qualities are not limited to racing. In Battlefield 6’s eighth mission, Operation Ember Strike, the team worked on the destruction of a surface-to-air missile system and the movement and feel of a drone as it dropped bombs. The aim, Wittelsbürger explains, is to make actions feel tangible and to give players moments they remember.
Criterion did not move directly from Burnout to Battlefield. After Burnout Paradise in 2008, the studio worked on Need for Speed and contributed to Battlefield 5, including its Firestorm battle royale mode. Its earlier history also includes Black, a first-person shooter released in 2006.
Image credit: Criterion Games/EA
For players, the practical takeaway is that a studio’s past genre experience can influence the feel of a new game without determining its setting. The pacing and spectacle associated with Burnout can inform action in Battlefield, even when the gameplay and world are very different.
A larger team with room to evolve
Criterion now has 164 employees, compared with 30 in 2017. The team works across offices in Guildford and Wilmslow. Technical Art Director Neil Manners is the only staff member who has been at the studio throughout its 30-year history, while many current employees bring more than a decade of experience or backgrounds at other major European game studios.
The studio says future hiring will depend on project needs and development schedules. Its approach also includes outreach and internships, with leaders emphasizing the value of bringing in new perspectives alongside experienced developers.
That balance matters in a changing studio. Criterion’s heritage can provide useful creative and technical knowledge, while new team members can question established habits and suggest different ways to solve problems. Pejic says the studio wants people to challenge routines rather than accept them simply because they are familiar.
Image credit: Battlefield Studios/EA
What’s next for Criterion Games?
Criterion’s earlier reputation was built on distinctive racing games, but its current place in Battlefield reflects a broader development history that includes action games, shooters and work across major franchises. Its leaders describe the team as energized by Battlefield 6 and focused on contributing to future projects.
Coutaz says the ambition is for Criterion to become one of the UK’s leading studios. For now, Battlefield is its priority, while its Burnout-era focus on momentum, responsive play and spectacle remains part of the studio’s approach. Criterion Games’ next chapter will be shaped by how it combines that legacy with the scale and demands of Battlefield.
This article has been updated to reflect that one staff member has remained at the studio since its launch.
