Criterion confirms Need for Speed and Burnout are dead — Battlefield is all it does now

On its 30th anniversary, Criterion made it official: Need for Speed and Burnout are not coming back. Battlefield Studios Europe VP and GM Rebecka Coutaz shut down any hope directly — "We are solely focused on Battlefield" — and made clear the studio has no interest in revisiting its racing past.

Criterion developed the Burnout series from 2001 to 2018 and took over Need for Speed starting with the 2010 Hot Pursuit reboot, later shipping Need for Speed Rivals and 2022's Need for Speed Unbound. That's a long legacy of racing games, and it's now firmly in the rearview. Coutaz acknowledged the DNA carries over — "Yes, it used to be cars and less guns. But it's the overall player experience that we are sharing with the same intensity" — pointing to the cinematic feel and instant-reward moments as strengths Criterion brings to Battlefield.

Criterion is now officially branded as a Battlefield Studio, with those words printed beneath its name. The studio contributed heavily to Battlefield 6, stepping in late to fix the single-player campaign and supporting other teams across the project. Producer Stefan Wittlesburger says the post-launch live service is "going strong" and credits a community-focused approach. Director of operations Amy Pejic framed the multi-studio setup as a stabilizing force: "Being a part of Battlefield in general has provided a good foundation." That said, both acknowledged the model isn't without friction — Pejic referenced "family growing pains" and "challenges," and Criterion itself was among the studios hit by EA layoffs in March 2026, following Battlefield 6's record-breaking launch.

For fans still holding out hope for a Burnout Paradise sequel or a proper Need for Speed comeback, this anniversary celebration was the clearest signal yet that neither is happening — at least not at Criterion. Whether EA hands either franchise to another studio remains an open question, but for now, the studio that built them is done with them.