Need for Speed franchise put on hold as Criterion Games works on Battlefield

Vince Zampella said that while Criterion is working on Battlefield, there are still plans to bring Need for Speed back in 'new and interesting ways.'

Image via Electronic Arts
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In addition to learning about Battlefield Labs today, we also learned that Battlefield Studios will be bringing a number of EA developers together to work on the next game, but it’s worth mentioning that one of them is Need for Speed developer Criterion Games. The team released Need for Speed Unbound in 2022 and hasn’t said much about it since outside of acknowledging the series’ 30th anniversary. It should come as little surprise that Need for Speed is on the backburner for now as Criterion helps with Battlefield, but Battlefield franchise lead Vince Zampella says the studio is working on new ideas.

Zampella spoke to the matter of Need for Speed in a statement to Eurogamer this week. Following the reveal of Battlefield Studios, which included Need for Speed developer Criterion Games, Zampella assured fans of the racing sim that this didn’t mean the end of the road:

That is to say we’re probably not going to see the next Need for Speed for a bit. At least not before substantial work goes into the next Battlefield game anyways. Criterion actually joined in helping on Battlefield in 2023, following the release and support of Need for Speed Unbound in 2022. The group has been assisting with creating new experiences for Battlefield, as well as aiding DICE with support for the multiplayer elements.

Even with Need for Speed promised to return, it will likely be a while. Stay tuned to Shacknews for further updates on the franchise as we see what’s next for Battlefield.

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on BlueSky @JohnnyChugs.

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