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EA delays Need for Speed, puts Criterion on Battlefield 6

EA is shifting developer focus to this year's Battlefield installment.

Donovan Erskine

March 1, 2021 11:15 AM

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Though we’ve yet to get a proper reveal, we know that EA is planning to release Battlefield 6 later this year. With the game in its final year of development, EA is looking to put efforts into overdrive. Now, EA has made the move to delay Need for Speed to 2022, taking the Criterion team and putting them on BF6 to support development.

This news comes from Polygon, as the outlet recently spoke to Laura Miele, EA’s chief studios officer. Originally set to launch in 2021, EA has pushed the release of Need for Speed by roughly a year. This is so that Criterion, the studio working on Need for Speed, can shift its full focus to aiding DICE with development on the next Battlefield game. In Miele's discussion with Polygon, she states that part of the reason for the delay was the ongoing pandemic.

What’s interesting, is that she also speaks to the recent Codemasters acquisition. Miele state’s that EA will release a racing game later this year by way of Codemasters, which made the decision to delay Need for Speed much easier. It’s not been specified what title this will be, but expect a new Codemasters game later this year.

It’s unclear in what capacity Criterion will be involved with Battlefield 6’s development, but the game is still set to launch this year, as confirmed in a recent EA earning’s call. For the latest news and updates on Battlefield 6, as well as the recently delayed Need for Speed, stay right here on Shacknews.

Donovan Erskine

News Editor

Donovan is a young journalist from Maryland, who likes to game. His oldest gaming memory is playing Pajama Sam on his mom's desktop during weekends. Pokémon Emerald, Halo 2, and the original Star Wars Battlefront 2 were some of the most influential titles in awakening his love for video games. After interning for Shacknews throughout college, Donovan graduated from Bowie State University in 2020 with a major in broadcast journalism and joined the team full-time. He is a huge Scream nerd and film fanatic that will talk with you about movies and games all day. You can follow him on twitter @Donimals_