Five long-serving senior team members at Need for Speed developer Criterion have departed the studio following the launch of Need for Speed Unbound last month.
As reported by GamesIndustry.biz, Criterion’s vice president and general manager Matt Webster has left the studio after 23 years, as has head of studio development and 17-year Criterion veteran Alan McDairmant.
They’re joined by senior technical director Andrei Shires, who has been with the company for 16 years, as well as executive producer Pete Lake, who first joined Criterion in 1996. Head of content Steve Uphill also leaves following his most recent 10-year stint at Criterion. All are said to have left the developer to “explore new opportunities outside of EA”.
Following news of the departures, EA confirmed Charity Joy has been moved from the EA Sports UFC franchise to serve as executive producer on Need for Speed, while Geoff Smith, who previously oversaw Dirt and Grid at Codemasters, is now senior director of product development for Need for Speed.