Need For Speed franchise could end so more Battlefield can be released

If you grew up on the run from the police in games from the Need for Speed franchise, prepare your heart: the most famous racing series in video games seems to have reached the end of the line — at least indefinitely.

The strongest signal came from the franchise’s own owner, Electronic Arts (EA). In an interview with IGN, Rebecka Coutaz, vice president and general manager of Battlefield Studios Europe, was asked about a new Need for Speed and answered bluntly: the studio is “focused solely on Battlefield”. That is, there is no new game in the automotive series in development.

What happened to the series

Coutaz runs Criterion Games, the studio responsible for the last chapters of Need for Speed. According to Motor1, Criterion was relocated and today works as a support arm for the development of Battlefield, EA’s shooter flagship. Without the studio, the franchise is orphaned.

The last title, 2022’s Need for Speed Unbound, had good critical reception, but sold underwhelming. EA, with an eye on greater profitability, preferred to concentrate its forces on what yields more.

In addition to the executive’s speech, other clues of the future are accumulating. NFS: Unbound, for example, stopped receiving updates. And Speedhunters, a website dedicated to automotive culture and funded by EA, stopped publishing in April 2025. A company employee also said on social media that the company had “shelved” Need for Speed and cut off its funding.

The bad news spills over into another fan passion: Burnout, also played by Criterion, goes into the same fridge. For now, the rearview mirror is the only place where the series still appears.