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EA is putting the brakes on the next Need for Speed game by postponing it for a year, and instead moving developer Criterion Games onto a support role on Battlefield 6 with DICE.
The news comes from EA Chief Studios Officer Lauara Miele who was speaking to Polygon and mentioned that the move actually gives the Criterion team time to breathe, which has been made possible thanks to EA’s recent acqusition of Codemasters who will themselves be putting out at least one racing game this year, widely believed to be this year’s licensed Formula One game.
Speaking on moving Criterion to Battlefield 6, Miele said: “[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.”
It does appear that Criterion will be returning to Need for Speed after it finishes up on Battlefield 6, however, with Miele adding “They 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.”
Both Battlefield 6 and the next Need for Speed were originally alluded to last June during the EA Play event, with the latter promising to take advantage of the Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 to deliver a next-gen experience. EA intends to formally reveal Battlefield 6 (title pending) later this Spring.
