Ghost Games was numero uno for the franchise, producing the latest four Need for Speed games: Need for Speed: Rivals, the Need for Speed reboot, Need for Speed: Payback, and Need for Speed: Heat.
EA has announced that future Need for Speed games will be developed by Criterion, not Ghost Games (via GamesIndustry.biz).
It seems that the two studios are swapping roles, as Ghost Games will act as a resource pool contributing to the development of EA games.
“Ghost Games have helped to bring some great Need for Speed experiences to our players.