Things seem to be going wrong at Electronic Arts again. Where do these assumptions come from? After the premiere of Need for Speed Unbound, as many as 5 senior employees, associated with EA for as many as 32 years, left the ranks of Criterion Games.
According to Game Industry Biz, there have been truly massive changes in the ranks of Criterion Games, the team responsible for the return of Need for Speed and the iconic Burnout. As many as five legendary employees who held the highest positions and formed the core of the entire company for several decades have just left the company. Unfortunately, this is a very significant personal blow to the entire Electronic Arts company, because even the guy who worked on the first installment of the FIFA series in 1990 left the company. Currently, all of the employees listed below have announced that they have left Standard to “seek new career opportunities outside of Electronic Arts”.
- Matt Webster – Vice President and General Manager, 33 years of experience.
- Pet Lake – Executive Producer, 26 years of experience
- Andrei Shires – Senior Technical Director, 16 years of experience
- Alan McDermant – Head of Studio, 17 years of experience
- Steve Uphill – Chief Content Officer, 10-year training
In their place, three newcomers to Criterion, who are also Electronic Arts veterans, have appeared.
- David Rutter – General Manager of the Racing Division at EA
- Charity Joy – Joins as NFS Brand Executive Producer, previously responsible for EA Sports UFC
- Jeff Smith – Joins as Senior Director of Product Development for the Need for Speed brand
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