Need for Speed is one of the longest-running racing game franchises around – in fact, last year was its 30th anniversary. It’s been over two years, though, since the most recent title, 2022’s Unbound, was released, and according to Criterion Games, the EA-owned studio that develops it, it could be a while before we see another NFS.
It was announced in 2023 that the majority of the Criterion team would be moving over to support the development of EA’s first-person shooter franchise, Battlefield, leaving only a smaller group supporting Need for Speed.
Need for Speed Unbound
That cohort helped keep the title supported throughout 2024 with a series of updates that celebrated the franchise’s long and illustrious history, but they don’t look to be continuing into 2025, and it looks like the franchise could be dormant for a little while.
In a statement to Eurogamer, Vince Zampella, boss of the Battlefield franchise, has confirmed that “The Need for Speed team at Criterion are joining their colleagues working on Battlefield.
Need for Speed Unbound
“As a company, it was important to us to take the last year to listen to our Need for Speed community and use their feedback to create content for Unbound,” continued Zampella, adding “With an increased understanding of what our players want in a Need for Speed experience, we plan to bring the franchise back in new and interesting ways.”
That sounds an awful lot like there’s no new NFS title in development right now, and that we’re unlikely to see one in 2025. A gap of over three years between releases would be the longest hiatus ever for a franchise which at one point was reliably turning out a new title every year.
Need for Speed Unbound
It’s at least positive that EA and Criterion want to take into consideration what the NFS player base wants – hopefully, it’ll make the long wait for a new entry in the series worth it.
