Need for Speed stalls as EA shifts focus to Battlefield reboot

Criterion hits the streets and leaves racing fans in neutral..

Need for Speed in 2025: On Hold or Out of Gas? 

For over 20 years, Need for Speed has been the game for anyone who’s ever wanted to outrun the cops, tune turbo kits, or rip through a city at midnight. But between the pandemic, shifting priorities, and slow development cycles, for the first time in almost a decade, the franchise is at a standstill, and there’s no telling when it will get moving again. EA is in trouble, and I’ve heard they’re quietly reassigning Criterion Games, the team behind Need for Speed, to help salvage their struggling Battlefield series. For fans of the racing series, known best by millennials and more recently by Gen Z, who discovered it through memes and mods, that’s a lot like an indefinite pit stop.

From asphalt to armament

Criterion, best known for Burnout and more recently Need for Speed Unbound (2022), will be working with the large development team on EA’s next Battlefield game. The news was revealed by Tom Henderson from Insider Gaming and confirmed by EA (with no press release). According to sources close to the matter, the next Need for Speed is no longer in development.

Criterion will now work alongside DICE (Digital Illusions Creative Entertainment), Ripple Effect, and Ridgeline to breathe life into a Battlefield reboot. The franchise has been struggling since the poorly received Battlefield 2042.

And just like that, the streets are empty.

A series stuck in second gear

Let’s be real. Need for Speed has been in trouble for years. Between inconsistent direction, studio handovers, and a tug-of-war between arcade chaos and realism, the series has struggled to find its footing in the modern gaming era. Even Unbound, which flirted with anime-styled visuals and underground vibes, couldn’t quite connect. It tried to say something bold, but most players shrugged and drove elsewhere.

For many gamers, Need for Speed was never just about cars. It was about style. About rebellion. About those late nights on Most Wanted dodging spike strips with your heart in your throat. It’s hard to let go of that.

So when the news dropped that Criterion would be leaving the series again, it was like hitting the gear grind.

Battlefield’s call for reinforcements

Meanwhile, EA’s crown jewel shooter has its own wounds to lick. Battlefield 2042 launched with bugs, broken features, and fan backlash. Despite multiple updates and PR efforts, it never fully recovered. Now EA is doubling down on the franchise, assembling a four-studio team to build what it promises will be a “true next-gen” Battlefield. That includes bringing in Criterion, a team that knows fast-paced action even if it usually comes with a rearview mirror.

From a business perspective, it makes sense. Battlefield has more potential as a live-service cash cow. But creatively, for fans, it feels like EA is putting passion on the back burner again.

Hearts racing in the garage

We’ve been here before as the Need for Speed community. A new game is announced. Silence. And the waiting begins again. Unbound was released in 2022 with big promises and big ambitions. For a moment it seemed like a comeback was possible. But by 2024, EA decided to focus elsewhere. Most of Criterion went to Battlefield. Speedhunters went quiet, and any future plans were put on hold.

There is no new Need for Speed game in development, and there is no trailer or release date. The online service for legacy games like Rivals will expire in 2025. Meanwhile, racing fans aren’t waiting around. Forza Horizon is killing it. Indie racers are going viral on TikTok. The genre is evolving, but it’s, unfortunately, without Need for Speed.

Is it done?

Not yet. But it’s stale and just playing spectator.

Players didn’t stop racing. They just stopped waiting.

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