New Need For Speed Delayed By A Year
We might have a "need" for speed, but that hasn't stopped development on Criterion's new Need for Speed running out of gas. Even if Need for Speed might not be the biggest IP Electronic Arts has in its bulging back catalogue, there's still plenty of hype surrounding the release of the new title for current and next-gen systems. Hot off the heels of Need for Speed Heat in 2019, the new Need for Speed was supposed to release in 2021 but has now been pushed back by a full year.
Since 1994, Need for Speed has offered a consistent slate of racing games that have tried to be more than simply zooming round a track or picturesque backdrop. Criterion Games has handled most development since 2010 and was also responsible for the release of Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit Remastered last November. Although Criterion is again working on the next game, the developer has been pulled over to work on Battlefield 6, alongside EA DICE, to get the war epic out on time.
When is the new Need for Speed delayed until?
Speaking to Polygon, EA Chief Studios Officer Laura Miele explained how the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and EA's recent acquisition of Codemasters are contributing factors in Need for Speed's year-long delay, however, reassigning Criterion to help on Battlefield 6 was a "rational call" to ensure Battlefield 6 makes its next-gen release in November. "[Battlefield] is shaping up great, the team has been working incredibly hard", said Miele. "They pushed hard last year, and yes, we have been working from home. And it’s hard; it’s hard to make games from home, and the [EA DICE] team is fatigued a bit".
Assuring fans that Need for Speed will race back into our lives in 2022, Miele added that the decision has been well-received. "There’s no way we would have made a decision like this without including [Criterion] and discussing this with them first, and the impact that they could have on [Battlefield]" she concluded, "They’ve worked on [Star Wars] Battlefront, they’ve worked on Battlefields, and they have a really tight, close collaborative partnership with DICE. I’m really confident that this is going to be a pretty positive win for them".
What's next for the new Need for Speed?
The road to the new Need for Speed has been a rocky one. After three disappointing titles from Ghost Games, EA handed the reins back to Criterion for the Hot Pursuit remaster and future games. There is a sense that EA has spread itself a little thinly since the $1.2 billion acquisition of Codemasters. Outbidding rivals Take-Two Interactive, EA now controls Codemasters, which is ironically known for racing series including Dirt and F1.
Let's all remember the news of Need for Speed being delayed comes in the immediate aftermath of the shocking blow that BioWare has ceased plans to overhaul the troubled Anthem after it has continued to plummet in popularity. There's also news that BioWare has axed all multiplayer modes form Dragon Age 4. EA has had some big hits with the likes of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, and there's plenty of hype surrounding Mass Effect: Legendary Edition, but in a market where one bad egg can upend an entire studio, Battlefield 6 has a lot riding on it.
On the plus side, having a studio like Criterion on board to help DICE can only be good news for Battlefield 6. Aside from Need for Speed, it's also done great work on the Burnout games. We don't know how Criterion will be used on Battlefield 6, but we're guessing it can lend a hand in tinkering beneath the bonnet of vehicular gameplay. If Need for Speed needs to be delayed by a year just so we can prove Battlefield 6 naysayers wrong, we say go for it!
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Images via Criterion Games