UPDATE:
It has since transpired that Pachter now believes Visceral Games, the studio responsible for the Dead Space franchise, is working on the as-yet unannounced shooter.
ORIGINAL STORY:
Michael Pachter, who is affectionately known as gaming’s Nostradamus, has claimed that Burnout developer Criterion is working on a spin-off to the Battlefield series.
Criterion is known for their racing games but do have experience in the FPS genre, since they made the criminally underrated Black for the PlayStation 2 back in 2006.
Speaking to Eurogamer, Patcher commented: "Although EA has as yet to announce a Battlefield extension for FY15, we believe Criterion Games is working on a military shooter that may become a brand extension for the Battlefield franchise in FY15."
Pachter then went on to say, "We spoke with management on Thursday afternoon, and although they have not yet announced a version of Battlefield for FY15, they confirmed that our understanding is spot on and that if a version of Battlefield were to be released in FY15, it would be developed by a studio other than DICE".
This would be surprising given that Criterion has severely downsized after the release of Need for Speed: Most Wanted last year, with most of the staff joining Ghost Games who made this year’s NFS entry, Rivals. However, it isn’t a surprise that EA would want to release more Battlefield games as the publisher is keen to emulate the success of Call of Duty.