A new title in one of gaming’s most successful racing franchises has been confirmed. A newNeed for Speedis in development by Criterion Games.
TheNeed for Speedseries has been going strong since the early 1990s, as fans have enjoyed speeding through cities and outrunning police cars in the fast-paced arcade-style racer for decades. In a press release today, EA revealed that the next game is in development for the action-packed franchise.
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Need for Speed Heatreleased last year to decent reviews, and the game has continued to be supported since it’s launch. However, the last update for the game will go live on June 9, as focuses are shifting to the next title.
TheNeed for Speedfranchise has had a bit of a rocky road over the past decade. There was a reboot attempt not too long ago that is considered one of theworst reboots of the past 10 years. Fans are hoping that the developer can continue to hone in on what makes the series so fun, which is usually fast-paced races in and out of cities while attempting to outrun the cops.
In an attempt to shake up the series for the better,EA called upon Criterion to developNeed for Speedagain. Criterion has worked on the franchise in the past, includingNeed for Speed: Most Wanted, but it also has had success with games like theBurnoutfranchise, another popular racer.
According to Matt Webster, the General Manager of Criterion, the team has been using the feedback fromNeed for Speed: Heatand the experience of the team to “create the most expressive, most socially connected, action-packed game yet forNeed for Speedfans and beyond.” Those ideas certainly sound ambitious, but Criterion could be the team to pull it off.
Many fans would love to see aremake ofNeed for Speed: Underground 2 or Most Wanted. The series seems to be at its best when the focus is on inner-city racing, vehicle customization, and high-octane police chases. Criterion working on a reboot or spiritual successor to those games would be something that many fans would enjoy.
Although there is no mention of next-generation consoles, it would make sense to assume that the game would be developed for the PS5 and Xbox Series X. With many of thebestNeed for Speedgamesbeing released over a decade ago, it would be wonderful to see one of gaming most beloved racing franchises make a valiant return on next-gen consoles.
A newNeed for Speedis under development by Criterion.
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