In case you needed any more confirmation that Criterion is now all in on Battlefield, the Burnout creator and long-time Need For Speed custodian is now officially branded as “A Battlefield Studio”–leaving the future of the Need For Speed franchise in question.
As spotted by The Gamer, a user from the Need For Speed subreddit spotted Criterion’s new official subtitle on EA’s website, where “A Battlefield Studio” now appears under the usual studio logo. Members of the subreddit are understandably not too optimistic about what the change means for the Need For Speed franchise, which is still ostensibly under Criterion’s purview.
The rebranding is really just confirming what we already knew–in February this year, EA announced that Criterion was being moved under the Battlefield Studios banner in order to support the single-player experience for Battlefield 6. At the same time, it was announced that development on the next Need For Speed title was being paused–though EA has promised that the franchise is not dead.
Criterion has worked on Need for Speed titles since 2010’s Hot Pursuit, and has been the main developer on the series since 2020, when control was shifted back from Ghost Games. The studio released Need for Speed Unbound in 2022, but in subsequent years a majority of the staff were assigned to support the Battlefield series following restructuring within EA.
While EA has said that it plans to bring the Need for Speed franchise back in the future, it’s unclear whether future games will still be developed by Criterion, now that it’s been designated under Battlefield Studios. It’s no surprise that Battlefield 6 is the focus of EA’s attention at present, with the much-hyped shooter due to release on October 10, 2025.
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