Criterion to oversee Need for Speed franchise going forward

Criterion vice president Alex Ward has said the firm will helm the Need for Speed franchise going forward.

Speaking with Game Informer at E3, Ward said: "Our stamp's going to be in everything you see in Need for Speed and Burnout going forward in the future. It's not going to be spread anymore across different companies. Different studios have had a crack at it - it's definitely a Criterion gig now.

"Going forward now, with Most Wanted and what we'll do in the future [will have], shall we say, a strong Criterion involvement. I'm personally involved in how the cars drive, how the game will play out, how connected they are, and what the features are."

Whether the firm will actually be developing each title itself or just overseeing various franchises, Ward was clear about on thing: Criterion decide which Need for Speed titles will be released.

The franchise encompasses Hot Pursuit, Most Wanted, Shift, and Underground and Ward thinks it would be "amazing in the future if there was one big game that had all of these in it." As for Burnout, Ward said the team, "[thinks] about it all the time," but that "something big will have to happen soon to enable us to do some of the things we want to do."

Need for Speed: Most Wanted is out in the US on October 30 and November 2 in Europe for PC, PS3, Vita, and Xbox 360.