 Logo since 2019 | |
| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | 24 February 2014 |
| Founders |
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| Headquarters | , |
| Website | threefieldsentertainment |
Three Fields Entertainment Limited is a British video game development studio. It was founded in February 2014 by Alex Ward and Fiona Sperry, who had previously worked at Criterion Games, along with developer Paul Ross who had worked with them under Criterion Games.
Ward and Sperry worked for Criterion Games from 2004 until they left to form Three Fields in 2014. At Criterion, they managed the team that developed, among other titles, the Burnout series (a series of racing games that placed more emphasis on using collisions to knock out other racers and other aggressive strategies rather than more technical driving).
In 2011, EA assigned the Need for Speed series to Criterion, which were based on more technical driving. Around 2013, EA opted to shift Need for Speed to Ghost Games, and later moved about 80% of the developers at Criterion permanently to Ghost Games, though Criterion still had a consulting role in development. [1] Neither Ward or Sperry were fond of this direction nor the corporate nature under EA; Ward said "We wanted to get back to having fun making games...This is the game business, not the work business." [2] In November 2013, Ward, Sperry, and Paul Ross, one of the developers for Criterion, decided to leave the studio to start anew, though had to wait out for their contracts to expire, in January 2014, before starting any new venture. [2]
The new studio, Three Fields Entertainment, was announced in March 2014. [3] The name was based on the fact that all three founders had skill sets in the same three fields related to game development: design, art and engineering. [4] Several other former Criterion Games developers joined the studio since its founding.
One of their overarching goals for the studio was to develop a spiritual sequel to the Burnout series, specifically focusing on the "Crash" mode, in which players would drive vehicles at high speeds into masses of other vehicles to do as much damage as possible. [2] Their first game, Dangerous Golf , announced in January 2016 and released in June 2016, served as a stepping stone for the studio towards this goal; similar to the "Crash" mode, the player would hit a golf ball in an enclosed space to do as much damage as possible. The title aided the studio in learning the Unreal Engine, with support from Epic Games' nearby Guildford studio, and incorporate middleware physics engines to make the destruction realistic. [4] Dangerous Golf had lukewarm reception and sales. Co-founder Paul Ross had already left and founded Stellar Entertainment, a Guildford-based developer with former Criterion staff.
Their second title was Lethal VR, a virtual reality title that simulated shooting ranges and light gun-based arcade games like Point Blank and Time Crisis . The title was released in December 2016. [5]
Three Fields' third game is Danger Zone , which aimed to achieve the vision of the "Crash" mode spiritual successor. It builds atop the knowledge they had from Dangerous Golf to recreate the "Crash" mode for modern computer and console systems. Danger Zone was announced in April 2017 and released in May 2017. [6] Danger Zone also received lukewarm reception and disappointing sales.
The following year, the studio announced its sequel Danger Zone 2 , which adds in more driving segments along routes inspired by real-world highways, for anticipated release in July 2018. Alongside this, Three Fields revealed Dangerous Driving , a closed-course racing game that includes the various crashing elements from these previous titles and more in line with the Burnout series, with a planned release on 9 April 2019. [7] [8] [9]
The studio announced its sequel Dangerous Driving 2 to be released in late 2020. it is expected to be an open world game, similar in nature to Burnout Paradise , with players able to race against computer or online opponents. [10] In August 2022, a trailer for the studio's next game, Wreckreation , was released on YouTube. [11] Published by THQ Nordic, the game will be an open world arcade racer with Burnout-style gameplay and an emphasis on customisation. [11] [12] [13] The developer confirmed via a retweet through their official Twitter account that Wreckreation is the new title for the previously announced Dangerous Driving 2. [13]
Need for Speed (NFS) is a racing game franchise published by Electronic Arts and currently developed by Criterion Games, the developers of Burnout. The series generally centers around illegal street racing and tasks players to complete various types of races while evading the local law enforcement in police pursuits. The series is one of EA's oldest franchises not published under their EA Sports brand. The series released its first title, The Need for Speed, in 1994. The most recent game, Need for Speed Unbound, was released on December 2, 2022. Additionally, a free-to-play mobile installment released in 2015, Need for Speed: No Limits, is actively developed by Firemonkeys Studios, the developers of Real Racing 3.
Burnout is a 2001 racing video game developed by Criterion Games and published by Acclaim Entertainment for the PlayStation 2, GameCube and Xbox.
Burnout 3: Takedown is a 2004 racing video game developed by Criterion Games and published by Electronic Arts. It is the third instalment in the Burnout series, which is characterised by fast-paced arcade racing. A staple of the series is the use of boost, earned through risky driving, to rapidly increase a car's speed. The central mechanic introduced in Burnout 3 is Takedowns, which allow players to slam their opponents until they crash. Takedowns work in conjunction with the boost system by filling up and extending the boost meter. Aside from standard circuit races, the game features modes focused on performing Takedowns on rival vehicles and causing monetary damage at a junction occupied with traffic. Each game variant is featured in a single-player campaign mode called World Tour, which serves as the primary method for unlocking new and faster cars. The game supports both online and split-screen multiplayer.
Burnout 2: Point of Impact is a 2002 racing video game developed by Criterion Games and published by Acclaim Entertainment for PlayStation 2, GameCube and Xbox. It is the sequel to the 2001 video game Burnout and the second title in the Burnout series. It was the last Burnout game to be released on the GameCube and the series would not see a release on a Nintendo platform until the release of Burnout Legends in 2005. The game also marked Acclaim's last entry in the Burnout series, as Acclaim would go bankrupt in 2004; the rest of the series would be published by Electronic Arts.
Criterion Games is a British video game developer based in Guildford. Founded in January 1996 as a division of Criterion Software, it was owned by Canon Inc. until Criterion Software was sold to Electronic Arts in October 2004. Many of Criterion Games' titles were built on the RenderWare engine, which Criterion Software developed. Notable games developed by Criterion Games include racing video games in the Burnout and Need for Speed series. As of April 2017, Criterion Games employ approximately 90 people.
Burnout Revenge is a 2005 racing video game developed by Criterion Games and published by Electronic Arts for PlayStation 2, Xbox and Xbox 360.
RalliSport Challenge 2 is a rally racing video game developed by Digital Illusions CE and published by Microsoft Game Studios for the Xbox in 2004. Released as a sequel to the 2002 video game RalliSport Challenge, the game introduced several new features, including a career mode, additional cars, and track types with new environments, including night driving and ice racing. Digital Illusions CE developed RalliSport Challenge 2 as a completely new approach from its predecessor, with the developers aiming to create a more realistic and diverse simulation of rally racing by introducing added environmental effects and an improved car damage and handling model.
Burnout Dominator is a 2007 racing video game developed by EA UK and published by Electronic Arts for PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable. It retains the core gameplay of the series, as players race at top speeds through dozens of World Tour events testing "reckless skill-based" driving techniques.
Burnout is a series of racing games developed by Criterion Games. The first two games were published by Acclaim Entertainment, while later instalments were published by Electronic Arts.
Burnout Paradise is a 2008 racing video game developed by Criterion Games and published by Electronic Arts for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows. It was also released on the PlayStation Store and via Xbox Live Marketplace's Games on Demand. It was later added to the libraries of Greatest Hits and Platinum Hits titles and was made backward compatible with the Xbox One in November 2016. It is the first game in the Burnout series to be released on Microsoft Windows.
United Front Games, Inc. was a Canadian video game development studio based in Vancouver. They created titles for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Portable, PlayStation Vita, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows. They are the developers of ModNation Racers and the critical and commercial success Sleeping Dogs in addition to collaborating with other studios on projects like Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition and Halo: The Master Chief Collection.
Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit is a 2010 racing video game developed by Criterion Games and published by Electronic Arts for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, Microsoft Windows, iOS, Android, webOS, and Windows Phone. The Wii version was developed by Exient Entertainment. Hot Pursuit is the sixteenth Need for Speed title and was released in November 2010, with digital distribution versions released within December 2010. This version is a reboot of Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit (1998). A remastered version, titled Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit Remastered, was released on November 6, 2020, for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and on November 13, 2020, for Nintendo Switch.
Forza is a racing video game series for Xbox consoles and Microsoft Windows published by Xbox Game Studios.
Need for Speed: Most Wanted is an open world racing game developed by Criterion Games and published by Electronic Arts. Most Wanted is the nineteenth title in the Need for Speed series and was released worldwide for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation Vita, iOS and Android, beginning in North America in 2012, with a Wii U version following in 2013 under the title Need for Speed: Most Wanted U. The game picked up on the Most Wanted intellectual property, as opposed to the Hot Pursuit reboot that Criterion Games developed previously.
Fireproof Studios Ltd is a British video game art studio based in Guildford, England, and founded in September 2008. Fireproof Games, a division of the company, acts as video game developer. The company is best known for its The Room series of puzzle video games, of which the first, The Room (2012), was named "Best British Game" at the 2013 British Academy Games Awards, and sold over two million copies as of May 2013.
Need for Speed Rivals is a 2013 racing video game developed in a collaboration between Ghost Games and Criterion Games, and published by Electronic Arts. It is the twentieth installment in the Need for Speed series and the debut title for Ghost Games, who would be established as the primary developer of the series for all subsequent non-mobile installments up until 2020. Rivals was well received by critics at E3 2013 and was awarded with "Best Racing Game" from Game Critics Awards. It also received mostly positive reviews upon release. It was followed in 2015 by the mobile game Need for Speed: No Limits and the unsubtitled reboot of this franchise.
Dangerous Golf is a miniature golf game developed by Three Fields Entertainment, a studio formed by former Criterion Games founders and developers Fiona Sperry and Alex Ward. The game, as stated by the studio, is a mix of Burnout, Black, and NBA Jam, in which players attempt to cause the most destruction by playing miniature golf within a confined space, such as a china shop or a kitchen. The game was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One in June 2016.
Danger Zone is a video game developed by Three Fields Entertainment. The game involves driving vehicles at high speeds into various traffic situations to cause as much damage as possible. It is directly inspired by the Crash mode in the various Burnout games developed by Criterion Games, which the founders of Three Fields had been a part of prior to founding their own studio. It was released in May 2017 on Microsoft Windows and PlayStation 4 systems, and in October 2017 for Xbox One.
Lethal VR is a virtual reality shooting gallery video game developed by Three Fields Entertainment and published by Team17.
Dangerous Driving is a racing video game developed by Three Fields Entertainment, released on 9 April 2019 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
Last we heard, they were working on Dangerous Driving 2, an open world sequel, but it seems that this was just a working title for what has become Wreckreation – certainly, their official Twitter account retweeted some speculating about exactly that.