Need for Speed is a video game series that has been going for over 25 year now.
2019's NFS Heat was a step in the right direction for the franchise and Hot Pursuit: Remastered reminded us how good the series used to be.
What's in store for NFS next? We've got everything you need to know right here!
Latest news - EA puts Criterion on Battlefield 6, delaying NFS
It's a painful one for NFS fans. EA has made the decision to move Criterion Games onto Battlefield 6.
The decision will delay the next Need for Speed title until 2022. Added to the Gran Turismo 7 delay it has been a miserable start to 2021 for race fans.
New Developers for New Consoles
Ghost Games had been developing NFS' home console releases since 2013's Rivals. However, after Heat, they've been dropped in favour of Criterion going forward.
This move isn't being reversed in the wake of Criterion's shift onto Battlefield 6.
EA's purchase of Codemasters is too recent to move the franchise over there either, so fans are stuck waiting much longer than expected for the next NFS title.
Release date
Back in November 2020 EA promised investors a new NFS title by March 2022.
That timeline is obviously shifting now.
It's unlikely that the delay to the title will move it from the usual November slot back to early 2022. Instead, we may have to hold on until November 2022 for the next game.
Next-gen
At least we have some clarity on one thing. The next NFS won't be next-gen exclusive.
In the same interview where the delay was announced, Laura Miele, chief studios officer, said the game would be available on the PS5/Xbox Series X as well as their predicessors.
Cars, Gameplay & Story mode
EA should recognise that less is more when it comes to the story mode. NFS Hot Pursuit: Remastered is as popular now as it was released a decade ago, partly because of its emphasis on the driving.
Whether the focus of Criterion's game will be on the player rather than the cars is yet to be seen, but we will find out in due course.
Heat had a garage comprising 126 cars from 21 manufacturers in total, an impressive tally by anybody's standards.
It's safe to assume that the solid customisation that was available in Heat will also carry forward to next-gen.
Multiplayer
Like the gameplay and story, this is all pure speculation. The standard racing, cops and robbers and time trials should be included in online multiplayer.
Something that we know should be in the game is crossplay. This will allow you to play with your friends online no matter which console they're playing on.
Crossplay was enabled for Hot Pursuit Remastered after being introduced in Heat. It's a feature that's becoming more common in video games and something EA will be sure to include in NFS 2021. Guess that's NFS 2022 now...