Although Need for Speed: Heat rested much easier than the previous launch of Need for Speed: Payback previously in 2017, Electronic Arts felt it was best decided for the hands behind the engine to return to its rightful owners. So roughly a decade since the last Need for Speed game from Criterion Games, Electronic Arts helms the studio for the next major release.
And Criterion Games appeared to be just as excited as its fans just weeks later it was revealed that the developer commenced development on the next game. In November, Electronic Arts projected that the next Need for Speed game alongside the next highly-anticipated Battlefield will ship in holiday 2021. But, that appeared to be short lived entering 2021.
The publisher then released that Criterion Games will postpone development for the next Need for Speed until the release of this year’s Battlefield is finished. Although Electronic Arts presents itself to be favoring DICE with support for Battlefield, the firm in its recent earnings call shares that Need for Speed is still a pivotal release for the publisher.
Having Criterion who have delivered some of the most amazing experiences in our history and have worked really closely with DICE in the past, come together to help realize the fullness of that ambition was just a no-brainer for us this year. What has also happened, of course, is we had acquired Codemasters and a number of new racing games, including the F1 franchise, which is shaping up to be really strong this year.
And it was an opportunity for us to really think more broadly about our holistic racing strategy. Need for Speed will absolutely be a meaningful part of our future. We actually think there is — with the culmination of EA and Codemasters, we can actually expand and extend and enhance an interesting franchise. But those two things together meant that having Criterion work on Battlefield this year was absolutely the right choice for us.
Andrew Wilson, Electronic Arts CEO
Not only does Electronic Arts frame Need for Speed to be a “meaningful part of our future,” but the developer also presses that its new subsidiary Codemasters is also a priority in releasing F1 2021. The developer previously was slated to be bought up by Take-Two Interactive before leaving the purchase available for Electronic Arts.
Elsewhere from the recent financial report by Electronic Arts, the firm also interjects on the continued success that is Apex Legends. Most notably, the publisher elaborates on the game breaking $1 billion and player count being to par when it first launched in 2019. You can read the full report by heading here.
Are you happy Electronic Arts still favors Need for Speed?
Source: The Motley Fool
