Electronic Arts bossman John Riccitiello had a lot to say at today's William Blair & Company conference. Earlier, he reminded us that the publisher wasn't just looking to grab Grand Theft Auto from Take-Two but for other stuff, too. Now, he gives us the good word on the torturing status of its Vancouver studio. The good news for those paying attention to the human rights abuses heaped upon the Need For Speed team is that their torment has been cut in half.

According to GamesIndustry.biz, the Vancouver-based Need For Speed developers (pictured) have been slaving away on a brutal 12-month dev cycle for each entry in the series. Admitting that Need For Speed: Pro Street was just "okay", Riccitiello says that they've since added more staff, split the team in half, and put them on 24-month cycles, a winning formula that will hopefully make NFS: Undercover better than "okay." Congratulations to all involved.

Riccitiello: We were torturing Vancouver studio [GamesIndustry.biz]

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