Need For Speed’s Future Looks More Uncertain Than Ever

Where Car Culture Went Digital

Several racing games have not only provided entertainment but also inspired generations of car enthusiasts. One of them is the Need for Speed franchise, which has long sold an illegal street-racing fantasy through popular releases such as NFS: Underground 2 (2004) and Most Wanted (2005), with the latter helping make the BMW M3 GTR (E46) iconic.

Behind the scenes, however, the franchise appears to be facing some development uncertainty. Rebecka Coutaz, VP and GM of Battlefield Studios Europe, told IGN that Criterion, one of NFS’ longtime developers, is “solely focused on Battlefield,” a military-themed first-person shooter franchise similar to Call of Duty. This suggests Criterion is not actively developing a new mainline NFS game for the foreseeable future.

A Hot Pursuit Of Its Own

While Need for Speed has been around since 1994, Criterion’s first release in the racing-game franchise was Hot Pursuit (2010). Its most recent NFS release was Unbound (2022), which notably features graffiti-inspired visual effects that give the game a distinct identity and aesthetic.

It would be interesting to see where the franchise goes from there, but Coutaz’s comments suggest that its future is uncertain. This does not necessarily mean that Need for Speed will be discontinued, however. EA owns the franchise and could assign a future installment to another developer if Criterion continues doubling down on Battlefield.

If so, a new direction could be expected, which may ultimately prove to be either good or bad. The franchise has produced 25 mainline games over more than three decades.

Racing Beyond Need For Speed

In the meantime, major open-world racing games that combine street-racing culture, customization, and police chases, as in Need for Speed, remain relatively limited. Many racing games instead focus on simulated track driving, appealing to sim racers with titles such as iRacing, Gran Turismo, and Assetto Corsa Competizione. Other popular car-based games take less traditional approaches, including Mario Kart and Rocket League, the latter being a vehicular soccer game that has featured licensed production cars such as the Ferrari 296 GTB.

For those who prefer an NFS- or Fast & Furious-esque experience, there is the open-world arcade racer Burnout Paradise, also developed by Criterion, as well as the upcoming Clutch. One classic alternative is Midnight Club, whose final installment, Midnight Club: Los Angeles, was released in 2008.

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