Criterion Games co-founders leave studio

News broke out today that co-founders of British game developer Criterion Games, Fiona Sperry and Alex Ward, have left the studio to start a new one. Criterion is well known as the makers of the Burnout series of racing games and two Need For Speed games: Hot Pursuit, released in 2010, and Most Wanted, released in 2012, in what appeared to be a good and stable partnership between Criterion and EA Games.

However, [url=http://forum.nfsunlimited.net/viewtopic.php?f=173&t=22411]back in September 2013[/url] Criterion saw its staff reduced to just 16 employees, as most of the developers (60 to 65) moved to Ghost Games to help finish the latest NFS game, Rivals (released in November 2013). At the time, Alex Ward reassured that a closing of the studio was not happening, because "we are backed by a huge and successful wider company, Electronic Arts". It seems after all this is not the case, with both co-founders leaving the company today. If the numbers are still accurate, this means Criterion has now just 14 employees and might be in risk of being shut down by EA.