DEVELOP/JOBS: Criterion – “I am happy to be a part of this group of compassionate leaders, managers, and service staff.”

This content was created in association with Criterion as part of DEVELOP/JOBS.

At Criterion we see striving constantly to work in a better, healthier way as fundamental to making AAA games that entertain our players with great experiences, and that are profitable for our company.

We’re a talented team of people who live and breathe games; from table top to video games. The team is currently working on Need for Speed and we have a proud history working on Battlefield, Star Wars Battlefront and Burnout to name but a few.

You’ll find us playing, creating, breathing, and talking games. In fact, gaming is so important to us that we regularly set aside time to play games together either online or in person! Learning from the widest range of experiences makes our own games better.

We believe that healthy, engaged teams make great games, so we place enormous value on collaboration, fresh ideas, and unique perspectives. We’d love to hear yours! Crunch doesn’t help make a better game. We don’t do it. For the past three years we are very proud to have been recognised by gamesindustry.biz as one of the best places to work in the UK.

We are a team of creative collaborators and we believe that the most effective collaborators communicate face-to-face, but we have also learned in the last year how to be effective working remotely. We are now on a journey of learning how we have the best of both worlds.

Location(s): Guildford

Team size: 150

Key projects and hiring areas: Need for Speed

Recruitment contact: Lewis Brown, Lead Recruiter, lbrown@ea.com, InsideGamesEA

FROM THE TEAM: CAROLINE TRUJILLO, SENIOR DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR, CRITERION STUDIO, NEED FOR SPEED – GUILDFORD

I joined Criterion during the pandemic, remotely. The majority of the studio was working on Battlefield when I joined, while I started on Need for Speed. It’s always challenging to join in these unusual times.

Criterion attracted me with their promise to create a safe environment, where people come first, where talent is nurtured and appreciated, and where improving “the way things are done” is a goal.

Seven months later, I am not disappointed with Criterion.

I am not naturally an optimist, maybe it’s my 28 years in the industry that has created rough-edges in my expectations.

I have previously worked in some challenging environments, some “toxic”. So I know what I have here at Criterion, I am happy to be a part of this group of compassionate leaders, managers, and service staff.

Criterion works every day to adjust to the changing needs of development, to meet the challenges brought by Covid, and to be of service to an enormously talented group of game developers.

FROM THE TEAM: CHRIS THWAITES, TECHNICAL ANIMATOR, EA CRITERION, GUILDFORD

I’m a Technical Animator at EA Criterion (Guildford) and just wrapped up on Battlefield 2042 and now gearing up to start work on the new Need For Speed in 2022.

I’m originally from Cape Town, South Africa and joined EA Criterion in August 2020. As a long-time Need For Speed fan, it’s been a dream come true really!

I think the thing I’ve enjoyed most is not being limited in my role. When I started, we were working on tools and tech around our Animation and Cinematics pipelines. On Battlefield, I was given the opportunity to work on shaders for characters, vehicles, weapons and water. Now returning to NFS, I’ll be involved in animation, content pipelines and tools, there’s just been so much opportunity to learn and try new things!

As a studio, I think I’ve been most impressed by Criterion’s focus on supporting us during the pandemic. From mental health services, regular calls with our managers, our TA team outings, making games is hard at the best of times and it feels like a lot of effort goes into keeping us supported and feeling like we’re part of a community, even though we’re all working from home.

I’ve also loved being involved in our LGBTQ+ ERG and promoting inclusivity at our diverse studio!

Now Hiring! Just some of the many roles open at Criterion

For more than fifteen years we’ve entertained millions of players around the world with our award-winning games. Our talented people have expressed their passion for world-class game feel, AAA audiovisual quality and technical innovation in the Burnout and Need for Speed series as well as in Battlefield 1, Star Wars X-Wing VR, Starfighter Assault and Arcade for Star Wars Battlefront II and Firestorm for Battlefield V.

With exciting plans for the next Need for Speed title, we have these amazing opportunities for talented developers who can help us build an innovative Need for Speed experience.

Technical Artist (Guildford)

We are looking for a Technical Artist to join our creative team working on the Need For Speed franchise to help solve challenges the teams face. You will be working on improving workflows and pipelines, creating new tools and researching
new approaches.

Handling Designer (Guildford)

As a Handling Designer you will work with the Lead Designer, Physics/Handling Engineers, the world team, the vehicle art team, and the vehicle audio and VFX teams. A Handling Designer takes part in a structured, iterative design process and has a hands-on role in creating the user experience for both a large and varied range
of vehicles.

C++ Software Engineer – Gameplay (Guildford)

We are looking for talented C++ developers to join our gameplay team. Someone who can contribute to the design process and help turn the output into reality in the fast-paced world of Need For Speed.

VFX Artist (Guildford)

We’re looking for a VFX Artist who can combine their technical knowledge of cutting-edge VFX with a creative eye for drama and composition. We need your passion to fill the game with spectacular effects while keeping the framerate silky smooth.

C++ Software Engineer – UI (Guildford)

We’re looking for an engineer to join our experienced User Interface Team. Our UI/UX team oversees the presentation and framing of the game, building all the menus and in-game feedback systems, and connecting the game’s features together into a consistent and exciting experience for our players.