Topic: RE:EA Acquires Criterion

[NewsBot]

Resistance is _______.

EA to Acquire Criterion Software Group from CANON EUROPE; EA Acquires UK Creator of Burnout 3 and RenderWare

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 28, 2004--Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:ERTS) today announced an agreement to acquire Criterion Software Group Ltd. from Canon Europe. With the acquisition, EA assumes Criterion's studio in Guildford, UK; two globally recognized intellectual properties, Burnout and Black; and the RenderWare middleware technology.  

 Under a previous agreement, Criterion's Burnout3 game is being published by EA and is scheduled for release on all major platforms in September. Criterion is also developing a highly-anticipated game known simply as Black. Both titles received strong critical support earlier this year at the recent E3 game exhibition in Los Angeles.  

"This is a great fit," said EA Chairman and CEO Larry Probst. "Criterion offers us studio talent and a proven management team, globally recognized intellectual property and technology infrastructure that will accelerate our readiness on the next generation of consoles."  

EA places a strategic priority on creating games with a set of tools and libraries that are shared among its studios. RenderWare and RenderWare4 - currently under development for next generation consoles - will be combined with EA's technology to create a common framework for development. EA also plans to continue licensing the middleware technology to other developers.  

"Combining EA's tools and technology libraries with the existing RenderWare technologies will create a superior platform for game development," said Criterion CEO David Lau-Kee. "This system will provide the most powerful common technological framework for creating great games. Our work on RenderWare4, combined with EA's next generation efforts, will also boost development efforts on the next generation of consoles which are expected to debut over the next two years."  

"Our mission has always been to create exciting new franchises that appeal to the widest possible audience," said Fiona Sperry, Head of Criterion Games. "Within EA, we can now secure our future as one of the world's leading development studios."  

Criterion will be managed from EA's UK Studio in nearby Chertsey, Surrey; the RenderWare business will remain in the UK at a separate location. RenderWare will be managed apart from EA's local studios.  

The acquisition is expected to close in 30-45 days, subject to regulatory clearances.

[jmoe316]

"Under a previous agreement, Criterion's Burnout3 game is being published by EA and is scheduled for release on all major platforms in September."

Hopefully that is not an error in the Press Release.

[Ian Sane]

Maybe the Cube isn't considered "major" and thus doesn't fall under that description.  Sucky but due to the "it's on Cube/no it's not" back and forth stuff I'm just assuming Burnout 3 is not coming to the Cube and I'll continue to think that way until I see it on the store shelf.  There's no point getting my hopes up for no reason.

[KDR_11k]

Criterion themselves didn't want to make it for the GC, but EA forced them to.

Someone else brought up the point that EA now owns Renderware and might abuse it to get an edge on the competition.

[Flames_of_chaos]

Atleast EA still cares about the cube.

[Djunknown]

Or to put it another way, not abdanon it. If EA drops the 'Cube, or drops the Revolution, Nintendo's prescence in North America is roasted, toasted, and burnt to a crisp. I'm still aching for Fight Night 2004

And before it becomes a less-is-more, we-don't-need-em, argument, check the sales the figures. Time after time, an EA game is always on the top 20. Until EA's sphere of influence (ever) decreases, one can hope EA will not abandon the big N.

[joeamis]

Looks like the Burnout series will be around for sometime, ah the chances of it as a launch title for nex gen consoles is high now.

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

Long live Burnout 2.  The only game that seems to fit the Logitech Speedforce Wheel like a MJ glove.

[Shift Key]

Quote
Criterion themselves didn't want to make it for the GC, but EA forced them to.

LIES! So Criterion forced themselves to make Burnout 1 AND 2? They have their own middleware (to develop a game for multiple systems) and now a publisher with a track record for publishing sports games and not much else on GC (you may consider Mary Kate and Ashley's Sweet 16 an exception, but I consider it a shafting). I'm still skeptical this will appear on GC at all. I can imagine it now...

*EA Boss watches over Criterion workers from almighty throne, forcing them to play "Dual Heroes" on a chair of nails while smashing a GC*
This may not be accurate - they could be forced to play The Bouncer instead...

[Uncle Rich AiAi]

I'm waiting for the day when EA acquires Nintendo...

[Deguello]

Great!  EA acquires another company that they will dismantle and pervert until they don't exist anymore!

The Ghosts of Westwood weep.

[nickmitch]

While EA continues to try and dominate the industry I'll just stick to embracing my T.V. for comfort...

[Syl]

Not entirely unexpected, but the news isn't that good.

That said, The ONLY other game i've ever heard of that used the Renderware engine was actually Sonic Heroes, of all things.

Burnout 3 for cube though, thats a blessing.

I sure hope that Free Radical doesn't sell out... That would really piss me off.

[Bloodworth]

Yes, but you know EA has to want to get them on a Bond game.

[KDR_11k]

Syl: There are more.

[Shift Key]

Quote
Burnout 3 for cube though, thats a blessing.

Don't bet the house on it. I spotted some fresh "Coming Soon" boxes for Burnout 3 today, and there is no Gamecube logo to be seen on it.
:angryface:

[joeamis]

Quote
Originally posted by: Shift Key

Quote
Criterion themselves didn't want to make it for the GC, but EA forced them to.

LIES! So Criterion forced themselves to make Burnout 1 AND 2? They have their own middleware (to develop a game for multiple systems) and now a publisher with a track record for publishing sports games and not much else on GC.

Acclaim probably made the choice of putting out the previous games for Gamecube.  Another thing is, the best EA games on Gamecube were not sports games.