EA admits to "torturing" NFS devs, announces NFS: Undercover

Posted Jun 19, 2008 at 9:14PM by QJ Staff Listed in: News, Games Tags: Electronic Arts, John Riccitiello, PS2, Vancouver
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EA logo - Image 1In a recent meeting between top Electronic Arts investors, company CEO John Riccitiello confessed that for the past eight years, he and the rest of the EA bosses have been "torturing" developers for the Need For Speed series. He also announced that a new game in the franchise is being prepared and it's going to be called Need For Speed undercover.

Riccitiello was referring to 12-month development cycles for each NFS game made in those eight years. He pointed out that the stress and tight schedules may have been impeding innovation for games.

He got that right. The last installment in the series, Need for Speed ProStreet (PC, Xbox 360, PS2, PS3, Wii) received lukewarm reception from fans and the media. ProStreet, one might say, took a sharp turn, crashed, and burned with its technical and conceptual issues.

"I thought it was an okay game, in terms of gameplay. It's not good," Riccitiello admits. After which, he introduced a new plan to steer the franchise's wheel on the right track.

"Last summer we added head count and split the team in two, so now there are two teams on a 24 month cycle," he said. He then concluded that things should get better from here on out as the game re-adopts a more chase-oriented motif.

We certainly hope this new work paradigm brings in some changes. The franchise has too much history and followers to just let go to waste.

Via Eurogamer

 
 
 

Comments [refresh]

by digicron - 2008-06-19 17:38
» bout time

this is about time they added more staff. i know people that work for EA in Vancouver and they get ridden so hard. the turnover rate for employees there is huge as they just push them to the brink and people just cant take it anymore.

by TheLastGuitarHero - 2008-06-19 17:59
» ...

Even he admitted it to being an "okay" game. That's what sets great developers apart from EA, they want to make great things. Do you think some of the classier ones would be fine with releasing an "okay" game?

by kittykat - 2008-06-19 20:21
» Well, that is how it often works out in the end...

EA, like many (if not most) businesses that have become huge multi national corporations that have a slight monopoly, have a different set of priorities from smaller businesses.



Smaller businesses seek to give people good quality in order to generate revenue. They will invest whatever it takes to deliver. Their theory is happy customers will gladly be loyal to them and purchase what they produce.



Many big, multi national, and overly inflated businesses (of course, not all of them) care little about what they produce as long as it generates as much profit as possible, irregardless of how much they hurt people and how crappy their products are. Their theory is people are mostly stupid, and their success proves them right.

by Apeaggedon - 2008-06-19 20:41
» wut an idiot-

Thats really terrible for EA'S own head boss man to say "it wasnt that good"

anyone could of told him that.. the truly last great need for speed was the one on pc and psx as well... after that it got overboard redonculous. EA is gaining a very bad rep toawrds themselve's and will get worse if they keep up the *****ty work ( witch probably wont happen )... but o well,their funeral.

by RudedoggX - 2008-06-19 20:59
» Apeaggedon

Please work on your spelling, grammar and punctuation!

by izkjon - 2008-06-19 21:46
» NEW NFS.

Personally I didn't like ProStreet that much, because they took out what was fun in Need for Speed, and that is free roaming.The Game looked awsome and quickly got tired of just race, instead of cruising around.Need for Speed, needs

a storyline, not just driving around.

One thing they should include in future NFS games is REPLAY

'cause I like watching the lap that I just raced.



1)Storyline

2)The Cops back.

3)Replay.

4)Customizing cars from, Lights, wheels(spinners ), neons,

spoilers, Front and back bampers and maybe spinnin' rims neon inside it.

by FreePlay - 2008-06-19 22:14
» RudedoggX

Please work on having something useful to say!

by CHUCKINGROCKSATSPACESHIPS - 2008-06-19 22:28
» Need For Speed so far

So far my favorite NFS has to be Need For Speed Most Wanted. That game seemed to do so many things right. Also the sound track kicks ass!

by NarooN - 2008-06-20 01:09
» The Last Good NFS for me was..

NFS Hot Pursuit 2. If that game had online, it would have been perfect. Everything else after...well let's just say I didn't even consider buying any of them after that game.

by SuperQuest - 2008-06-20 03:22
» @ RudedoggX

your a bumbass RudedoggX

by Binary - 2008-06-21 04:48
» ...

who wants to buy EA games when they always flash's their logos all over the place like The Simpson's Game.

by GW2 - 2008-06-21 09:43
» 110%

i agree with you entirely. hot pursuit 2 was the pinnacle of NFS

by Mister Common Sense - 2008-06-21 14:13
» .

I'd be more concerned with poor quality games than a logo that appears too often.

by na2rul - 2008-06-22 14:34
» well for me

NFS Underground 1 was the game that made it for me and popular

by StainlessSteve - 2008-06-22 18:56
» The fun stuff...

was running from Cops, on well thought out courses, in exotic cars. I'm looking at you Hot Pursuit. They just need to make a Hot Pursuit 3 already. It would make the world a better place.

by Farnesworth - 2008-06-23 01:52
» Oh yeah...

I remember playing against my friend via a dial in connection back in the day. Man, I miss the good old Hot Persuit days before they went nuts on the fancy street racing crap.

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