It's been seven years since the latest Burnout title graced televisions around the world, and fans are clearly yearning for more street race-inspired action. Developer Criterion Games took to Twitter today in order to shut down several false rumors being floated around the web regarding the series – making strong statements that it's focusing on its new title rather than continuing the traditional Burnout series.

Today, Criterion Games specifically rejected rumors that it is working on a Burnout HD collection for Xbox One and PlayStation 4, instead clarifying that it's hard at work on "newer, even better" ideas.

The Surrey-based studio has been busy working on a brand new game with a focus on more than just cars; ATVs, boats and planes appeared prominently in last year's inaugural trailer for the untitled project. The studio has kept relatively quiet since the announcement of the fan-dubbed 'Beyond Cars' project, but it's clear plenty of gamers still suspect a return to Burnout is still on the cards. Nostalgic players clamoring for a return to the always-popular Crash Mode will have to hold onto their seats for an indefinite time, however, as Criterion Games confirmed there will be no such reunion on next generation consoles – though they did say it was "a nice idea, but still not true".

The studio also shut down speculation that Burnout: Paradise would get an HD remake on Xbox One and PlayStation 4, although the studio once again re-emphasized its commitment to bringing it to the Xbox One through backward compatibility. When another user asked if they could then port Burnout 3 as an HD title by comparing the process to "just clicking a button", the studio coyly replied that "making the button is a bit tricky".

The shutdown on rumors started when one Twitter user posted a fake image depicting Burnout: Paradise on the Wii U with an integrated map interface on the tablet controller, which prompted the studio to tweet that there was no such port in development. Evidently, whoever is manning the Criterion Twitter account decided that they may as well shut down a few other rumors while they were in the process of doing so.

The change of focus away from cars in their current development schedule may be due to the responses Criterion Games creative director Alex Ward received when he asked fans what they wanted in a potential Burnout: Paradise 2 title on Twitter almost 3 years ago. The studio's Twitter account had been quiet for months, so Ward had taken it over and shot the question out. Though the Twitter account has been much more active in the last year, those running it have shied away from talking about any new potential Burnout or 'Beyond Cars' developments.

Thankfully, those looking to scratch their racing itch still have plenty of options on next generation consoles, with titles like Need For Speed due out with November and Forza Motorsport 6 already in stores worldwide.

Would you purchase a Burnout HD collection on Xbox One or PS4? Do you think it's time for the series to return? Get at us in the comments.

Source: Twitter