Criterion: Better to Change than Burn Out

"We’ve always been masters of our destiny, that’s for sure.”

“Beyond cars. That’s for certain.”

That’s the enthusiastic response you get when you ask Matt Webster, the recently-appointed general manager of Criterion, about the studio’s next project.

Specific details weren’t forthcoming – not just yet, anyway – but he was more than happy to talk about the principles guiding its development: fun, excitement, action, connectivity and quality.

They’re the principles that have always shaped the output of Criterion, which is reassuring to anyone familiar with some of the high-profile changes the studio has undergone over the last six months.

Back in September 2013, it was announced that 60-65 of Criterion’s Guildford-based workforce would be moving to the recently-established Ghost Games in Stockholm, where they would help finish Rivals, the latest entry in the Need for Speed series. Bafflingly, this came just over a year after EA proudly named Criterion as the custodian of the NFS franchise. In retrospect, it was to be a short-lived tenure.

At the time, studio founder Alex Ward was positive about the change, emphasising it was a decision Criterion had taken itself and that smaller teams do way more. But already this year, Criterion has encountered another big change: Ward, along with co-founder Fiona Sperry, has left the studio.

I recently spoke with Criterion’s new general manager and the project lead on the next game, Matt Webster. So what happened in those intervening months? Why did Ward and Sperry leave?

Webster politely tells me I’d have to ask them. He’s not being defensive; he simply wants to talk about Criterion as it is today.

Incidentally, he speaks fondly of both Ward and Sperry, recalling their early work together: “I worked super close with them. I was producer on Burnout 3 when we published that game. Upon the acquisition (EA bought Criterion in 2004), Alex and Fiona asked me to join Criterion.

“I’ve absolutely loved those years we worked together. We’re obviously friends and have some fantastic memories. We’ve learned a lot from one another, and I totally appreciate all those times we had.”

“Whenever we’re grown, we’ve shrunk. You change shape. New people come in and old people go. That’s kind of the nature of the business."

While many onlookers found the reduction of Criterion’s staff to just 17 alarming, it’s immediately clear that Webster wasn’t perturbed in the slightest. It’s all part of the cycle, he tells me. This is where Webster benefits from perspective of having been with EA for over 20 years and at Criterion for going on 10.

“We’ve changed a lot,” he tells me. “Whenever we’re grown, we’ve shrunk. You change shape. New people come in and old people go. That’s kind of the nature of the business, you know. You can’t stand still at all. I don’t think we ever can. That’s certainly a big focus for us: always change, adapt and innovate.”

And while most change is usually imposed, Webster tells me this reduction was Criterion’s decision, born partly of fatigue with the racing genre.  “We did Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit on the back of Burnout: Paradise. Then we did Most Wanted. Then we wanted to do something new.

“The timing was right for us to try shrinking down into a creative core, while we worked out what we wanted to do before expanding again.”

But isn’t this slightly strange? After all, the studio was placed in charge of the Need for Speed franchise as recently as 2012. When I ask about the brevity of this tenure, Webster once again stresses the autonomy Criterion possesses.

“I think one thing you’ve got to realise is that we’ve always had an amazing amount freedom to do whatever we wanted to choose. When we went into NFS, it was absolutely what we wanted to do; when we chose not to do NFS, it was what we wanted to do.

“We’ve always been masters of our destiny, that’s for sure.”

When we went into NFS, it was absolutely what we wanted to do; when we chose not to do NFS, it was what we wanted to do."

So what does Criterion look like right now? It’s a mixture of Criterion veterans – staff that have shipped at least two games at the studio – and new people who have come in over the last six months. The team is currently more than 20, but that is expected to grow in the coming months. It’s all dictated by the life cycle of the project.

“Like I said, you stay small and agile, and that’s super beneficial for coming up with or exploring prototypes or exploring new concepts. When you start to gravitate towards something, you start to build afresh. Currently we are more than 20 and we expect to grow in the coming months as well.”

And while change is a fundamental part of the adaptation process Webster celebrates, there’s also a reassuring reverence for tradition.

“Our vision is that it’s a new chapter for us,” Webster tells me. “But we also recognise that our past is always going to shape our future. In life, you look to the past as a direction, as a guiding line for your future. And that remains true.”

“And that remains true if you look back ten years or look forward 10 years – those are going to be the guiding principles that we’re building the studio on, in terms of the new chapter we’re charting with this game and looking to the future with new leadership.”

We’ve always been masters of our destiny, that’s for sure.”

But what are those principles? What makes a Criterion game distinct?

“We’re about fun and excitement,” says Webster. “But if you look back, it’s online innovation. Burnout 3 was one of the first games that EA did that was online enabled; in Revenge, we tracked rivalries; in Revenge on Xbox 360, we did saving and sharing of replays. That desire to innovate online is a significant point of what we do. Then you go into Paradise, which was all about seamless connectivity and focussing around friends, which gave birth to Autolog in Hot Pursuit and subsequently the level of freedom and experiment that came with an open-world setting in Most Wanted.

“But the through-line there is fun, excitement, action, connectivity and surprising innovations to a level of quality that has been a trademark for us. That’s the life we’ve lived here. Those are the principles that will guide us, and those are the strengths we look back upon.”

That’s the mentality going into the next project, which is remaining under-wraps now. The concept is something the core team at Criterion have been tinkering with for a while, and will continue to innovate online. I ask if Criterion is looking forward to embracing the new generation of always-on, always-connected consoles. Webster believes they’ll help foster creativity and innovation, but he’s also keen to remind me that Criterion always strived for such innovation and in doing so, was frequently ahead of the curve.

“One of the things we did in Revenge on 360 was the saving and sharing of replays,” observes Webster. “Hello! Here we are seven or eight years later and it’s a principle part of the new consoles. That’s awesome.”

The biggest change Criterion is encountering isn’t necessarily the advent of new consoles or more powerful machines; for Webster, it’s the emergence of a new type of player: someone who is more highly-connected than ever before in human history.

“We’ve all got cellphones in our pockets. We’re all connect in numerous different ways, with a multitude of different devices. It’s a level of expectation now that players expect. And it gives us a huge amount of latitude to innovate upon.”

Understanding Criterion's heritage from the inside was a recurring theme in my conversation with Webster, but when I asked about future announcements, a new outlook started to creep in.

When the time is right, we’ll move into being, perhaps, more open than we have been for the last few years."

“I’m really excited about my tenure at the helm of Criterion. We’re moving into this new phase. I’d love to be way more open than we are now. It’s just the time isn’t right. When the time is right, we’ll move into being, perhaps, more open than we have been for the last few years.

“I’ve referenced Burnout Paradise, where we talking about anything at any possible time. I’d like us to get back to those sort of area, where we could really engage players, fans and people who are interested in knowing what we want to do.

“So I’d love it to be around E3 that we get to know more. It’s a shame that I can’t tell you more.”

As the conversation draws to a close, Webster finds another topic for his enthusiasm – a fresh intake of graduates would soon be arriving at Criterion. “There will be people that weren’t born when I started in the games industry, and that’s super exciting for me.”

Again, there’s a considered sense of perspective underlying many of Webster’s comments. “Studios change. People change. Games change. Genres change. This is an amazingly creative environment and industry to be a part of, and that comes from the people and the ideas that come in.

“I’m super excited about mixing this concept we’ve got right now, a team of experienced Criterion people – most of them have shipped two games with us – and a new generation of gaming talent. We’ll start to get bigger.

“And as we go on, pushing towards that, there is a point where we lift the veil a bit on what we’re building and what we’re thinking. That’s still going to be very early for us, but there’s an appetite for us to talk at an early phrase than we’ve in the last few years.”

A lot is different from six months ago, but the core concept remains in place, along with a nucleus of talent. Perhaps more reassuring is that the man overseeing the transition is a part of that history and eager to maintain those principles, while unafraid to embrace the new and usher in a more open era in the studio’s history.

It’s obvious that Criterion is evolving, but that shouldn’t necessarily be a cause for concern. After all, adaptation always been the best way to thrive in the face of change.