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Despite publisher cutoff and studio closure, Wreckreation 2 is being made by Burnout veterans
Fiona Sperry, the former Criterion Games studio head behind the beloved Burnout series, is developing Wreckreation 2 through her new studio, When Tides Turn, despite the collapse of her previous project. Her prior game, Wreckreation, was released in October 2025 by indie studio Three Fields Entertainment, but publisher THQ Nordic withdrew all support just weeks later, forcing staff redundancies and effectively dooming the title before it could reach its potential. Sperry's decision to launch a sequel so soon after that setback underlines her determination to keep making Burnout-style arcade racers, a genre she has championed since the original 2001 game.
Wreckreation 2 is being built for PlayStation 5, Windows PC and Xbox Series X by veterans of Three Fields, with no release date yet confirmed, though an early playable build has already been shown to press. Unlike the rural, open-world setting of its predecessor, the sequel moves closer to the style of Burnout Paradise, taking place mainly in a city, starting with a compact downtown area that developers say will later expand to include docklands, an airport, highways and back roads. The game retains high-speed, crash-heavy gameplay with modes such as races, 1v1 face-offs, Road Rages and Wreckoning time trials, with further modes including Blackspots, Eliminator, Marked Man and Pursuit planned, alongside the return of the original's user-generated content tools.
In short
- Wreckreation 2 is in development despite predecessor's publisher pulling support
- New studio When Tides Turn formed by Three Fields/Criterion veterans
- City-based sequel echoes Burnout Paradise; no release date yet
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Fiona Sperry's team represents authentic custodians of the Burnout legacy with genuine commitment to an underserved, passionate fanbase for arcade racing. Wreckreation's commercial failure resulted from publisher abandonment rather than creative shortcomings, and Wreckreation 2's shift to a beloved Burnout Paradise-style city setting directly addresses previous feedback. Independent development grants creative freedom whilst maintaining the expertise of proven veterans.
The case against
THQ Nordic's swift withdrawal reflected legitimate commercial concerns that haven't fundamentally changed since the original game's release. For an independent studio with limited capital, developing a sequel to a commercially failed game without major publisher backing presents substantial financial risk in a market that already resisted the original product. The underlying challenges of selling a niche-appeal arcade racing title persist regardless of the team's talent or creative adjustments.
Explained simply
Fiona Sperry is the creator of Burnout, an arcade racing game series launched in the early 2000s. The games were characterised by high-speed driving and featured elaborate vehicle crashes as a central gameplay element. The arcade racing genre saw reduced support from major publishers over subsequent decades.
In 2025, Sperry worked on Wreckreation, developed by Three Fields Entertainment as a spiritual successor to Burnout. The game was published by THQ Nordic and launched in October, but the publisher withdrew all support within weeks, resulting in redundancies and effectively ending the project's commercial viability.
Arcade racing remains a niche genre within the broader video game industry. Sperry has spent her career primarily working in this genre, beginning with the original Burnout in 2001.