EA Studios - Criterion Games

Criterion Games is a British video game development studio within Electronic Arts, with a main base in Guildford and a satellite studio in Manchester. Its work spans arcade racing, action games, first-person shooters and virtual reality. Today, the studio contributes to the Battlefield franchise through EA’s Battlefield Studios group, building on its experience in vehicle handling, combat systems and large-scale game development.

Established in January 1996 as Criterion Studios, the development team emerged within Criterion Software. Its early history was closely connected to RenderWare, the multi-platform 3D technology used by numerous games during the PlayStation 2 era. Criterion developed its own action and driving titles, launching the Burnout series in 2001 and following it with games including Burnout 3: Takedown and Burnout Revenge.

Electronic Arts acquired Criterion Software Group in 2004. Criterion subsequently released the first-person shooter Black and the open-world racer Burnout Paradise. Its racing work continued through Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit, Need for Speed: Most Wanted and Need for Speed Unbound, combining arcade driving with vehicle physics, handling and action-focused game design.

Collaborative development

Alongside its own releases, Criterion has contributed specialist development to other EA franchises. Its work includes the Rogue One – X-Wing VR Mission for Star Wars Battlefront, starfighter and arcade gameplay for Star Wars Battlefront II, and the Firestorm battle royale mode for Battlefield V. It also provided vehicle and gameplay assistance for Battlefield 2042.

The integration of the former Codemasters Cheshire development team in May 2022 expanded Criterion’s UK development footprint. Operating under the banner “Criterion: A Battlefield Studio,” the team works alongside DICE, Ripple Effect and Motive. Its reported Battlefield 6 responsibilities include single-player narrative missions, vehicle systems and core combat. The studio’s capabilities also encompass campaign and mission design, gameplay engineering, technical art, Frostbite systems, multiplayer combat and playtesting.