Many fans assumed last year’s Volume 5 update was the end of the road for Need for Speed Unbound after racing past one year of updates. In a surprise move, Criterion has announced Need for Speed Unbound will get a second year of live service support.
2024 also marks the 30th anniversary of Need for Speed, and to celebrate several packs will feature content inspired by fan-favourite titles.
Need for Speed Unbound Year 2 roadmap
Throughout this year, Need for Speed Unbound will receive four new Volume updates, with each launching every few months.
As outlined in the Year 2 roadmap, each Volume will contain at least one major game mode or feature plus two cars with fully customisable bodykits as part of new premium Speed Passes. That’s in addition to new events, weekly playlists, quality-of-life improvements, and bug fixes.
Arriving this month, Volume 6 will bring Audi back to NFS after the manufacturer was missing in Unbound at launch, despite featuring in Need for Speed Heat. A release date is yet to be confirmed, but we won’t have to wait long with February ending next week.
After that, the next two Volumes will celebrate the two most popular NFS games. Inspired by Hot Pursuit, May’s Volume 7 update will feature drift and drag racing events inspired by Underground, while Volume 8 in August will centre on cops vs racers inspired by Hot Pursuit. This likely means players will get to play as the cops for the first time in Unbound. Details for the final Volume 9 update in October are being kept under wraps for now.
Some of Unbound’s previous Volume updates were underwhelming, but these themed updates sound promising.
“The ultimate NFS experience in one place”
“Our vision is that through our second year of live service, you can, for the first time, begin to play the ultimate NFS experience in one place,” a blog post reads. Feedback for these Volume updates will "help shape the future of this iconic franchise."
“We see this as a year to test and learn and understand what works best for you. Committing to an extended Unbound live service allows us to really build on feedback, which we’ll be gathering in a few ways."
"We’re working closely with a dedicated Player Council - a great bunch of NFS influencers, core community members, and players to understand what’s important to them and their communities.”
Need for Speed Unbound is also free-to-play for PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium subscribers as of today, so it’s a great time to jump back in.
Need for Speed’s future looked in doubt not long ago, so it’s great to see EA keeping the series alive with frequent updates and new content.
However, EA’s commitment to Unbound updates implies we won’t get a new Need for Speed game this year, despite rumours of a Most Wanted remake coming this year. This could pave the way for EA to bring back Burnout this year after Stellar Entertainment, which worked on Unbound with Criterion, seemingly teased a new entry in the franchise.
Has EA's roadmap encouraged you to get back behind the wheel in Need for Speed Unbound? Let us know in the comments below.
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