Criterion Games, known for their Burnout franchise, was working on an extreme sports game that would allow for open world gameplay and a variety of extreme sports. The game was first shown at E3 2014 in the prototype phase with no title, and has since gone MIA.
Now, the game is back in the news, thanks to a comment from EA confirming that the game is no longer in development. A representative for EA told GameSpot earlier today that Criterion was no longer working on the game, and that the studio would shift their focus to the Star Wars franchise.
“While they’ve moved on from the previous project they’ve spoken about and aren’t pursuing it, they are continuing to build new ideas and experiment with new IP for EA, in addition to continuing to collaborate with other EA studios,” the representative said when speaking to GameSpot.
Criterion had previously worked on the speeder bikes in Star Wars Battlefront, and will also be contributing to the development of EA’s Star Wars Battlefront VR game.
If you’re looking to get your open world extreme sporting fix, no need to fret. While the development on Criterion’s untitled project has ceased, Ubisoft has stepped up to the plate with Steep, a game with a similar premise that was announced at E3 this year.
We’re mourning the loss of what could have been a great new IP, but we’re excited to see what Ubisoft can do with Steep. You can watch the trailer for the game released at E3 below.
