Layoffs Hit "Need For Speed: Rivals" Studio, Next "NFS" On Hold

Remaining staff rumored to be working with "Dead Space" developer Visceral.

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Just weeks after former Need For Speed stewards Alex Ward and Fiona Sperry left Criterion Games, current franchise guardian Ghost Games has been hit with layoffs across the board, leaving development of an unannounced new series entry put on hold.

Polygon reports that EA let go of contractor positions earlier this week, while staff at the Surrey, Guildford-based studio were told they could either take compensation and leave or stay on to continue working with Visceral Games on a rumored Battlefield project. Though EA has been relatively mum on the unfolding events, they have said that the company has "entered a consultation period for some positions" at Ghost. With the a Need For Speed film hitting theaters in March, it seems to early to count the franchise – or Ghost Games – out of the game just yet, though the studio's stability may be in question.

Via Polygon
 

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