Grave Gamer News & Views — racing

Criterion Looks to Burnout Again…and Maybe Road Rash?!

As the renown racing developer puts a final coat of polish on this year’s annual Need for Speed – an online focused remake of the open-world Most Wanted – Criterion Games recently spoke with The Guardian on which road they might tread going forward.

It shouldn’t come as much of a shock that the studio would want to revisit the franchise that put them on the map: Burnout, an arcade racer missing in action since 2008’s Paradise.  “We will make another Burnout game at some point,” promises the studio’s creative director, Craig Sullivan.  “Obviously, as we’re working on NFS we’re thinking of really good ideas that aren’t right for this series; there are ideas that we’re going to explore with Burnout.”

After a two game run on the Need for Speed series (the only racing video game franchise to score an upcoming film), Criterion may just get their chance to devote energy to Burnout given the lull in their schedule.  EA has already announced 2013’s NFS will be handled by another developer, EA Gothenburg.

And yet there’s a possibility Criterion may have something else on the cards entirely.  Thanks to the inclusion of motorbikes as DLC in Burnout Paradise, Sullivan mentions that some fans are convinced a Road Rash reboot should be a project promptly undertaken by the studio.  And Sullivan isn’t quick to dismiss the notion, either.  “Road Rash seems like a good fit for Criterion…”

“I had a lot of fun playing that game, we think bikes are fun.  We might make a Road Rash game…"  Admits Sullivan, but put your chains and leather chaps away.  The creative director is resistant to relent to any one idea, quickly musing on completely different projects all together.  "But then we might make a game without vehicles in it.  I mean, we made Black, I was the lead designer – we might make a game about blowing the crap out of each other!”