EA announced earlier that it is moving its Need for Speed franchise back to Criterion which has been under Ghost Games for a long time however recently in an interview, the studio revealed that the Need for Speed planned for a 2021 release has been pushed back and will now release in 2022. The development studio Criterion has been reassigned and is now working to finish Battlefield 6 which has already been delayed due to COVID-19.
This is the first time that EA has delayed its mainstream title to focus work on another title. Need for Speed was previously under Ghost Games which was a dedicated studio for the NFS franchise however with the studio now dismantled and NFS’s helm now in control of Criterion, it now depends on when Criterion is done with Battlefield 6 and can move back on the new NFS title. This latest announcement was made by Chief Studio Office Laura Miele who told Polygon in an interview that Criterion has been moved to support Battlefield 6, delaying the next NFS title.
Her exact words to Polygon were:
[Battlefield] is shaping up great, the team has been working incredibly hard, 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.
We have a great game and some incredible potential with this game. We’re playing to win; we’re playing to put a great Battlefield game out in the market
There were also rumors that with EA’s recent acquisition of Codemasters, the publisher might give the NFS to them for future development however she has cleared that this is not happening:
[Criterion] own the Need for Speed franchise; that’s why they managed the remaster. Anything that’s happening within the Need for Speed brand, they are responsible for, or things come through them to ensure that they’re on board with it.
Since Codemasters is now owned by EA, they will already release one racing game which might be the next F1 title so they are all set for their racing game release for this year. Ghost Games was earlier merged into a studio that is working on Frostbite engine whereas Criterion is known for its Burnout titles and also released the 2010’s Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit which also received a remaster last year.
Are you looking forward to playing Battlefield 6 this year or would you have preferred to see the new 2021 Need for Speed to come out this year? Let us know in the comments section below.
