Criterion Developed Need For Speed Coming Next Year

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Dan Webb

The Need For Speed series at EA seems to be like the village prostitute these days, bouncing from department to department seeing who can shaft her the hardest. The EA Games label president, Frank Gibeau, actually agrees with us... kind of.

"In recent years, we failed to put adequate resources behind the franchise and, as a result, quality suffered," says Gibeau. Unfortunately for him, we don't agree, we believe the series has gone to pot because they've taken everything out the series that made it what it was... fast cars, crazy shortcuts and cops.

Either way we can at least settle on the fact, that we're in agreement and something needs to change. Thankfully it looks like it may! Gibeau stated that the next Need For Speed title is currently being worked on by Burnout legends, Criterion.

"Next year's Need for Speed has been under development now for some time at our award-winning Criterion Studio," says Gibeau... a sentence that fills me with hope for the series. It's nearly enough to bring a tear to the eye.

[Via Joystiq]

Comments
42
  • Awesomeness.
  • Sounds good, I want to see another Most Wanted themed NFS. Most Wanted was and still is the best of them all IMO.
  • I really hope they go back to the open city/cop chases style of Need for Speed. I enjoyed Shift but it just wasn't Need for Speed. Should be something special if Criterion use the same engine as Burnout Paradise.
  • I would have to agree with #2 ... I loved Most Wanted for its challenge and overall fun that it gave. Maybe a little bit more customization and picking up the gameplay speed a little would be nice, but overall a great game. Hopefully we can see that out of this next one because I haven't even touched the last 2 games. I would like to ask though, why do we now a 6th NFS game on this generation of consoles? I think that they are simply killing the series because of how many games they are releasing.
  • This great news, Bring on the cops NFS SHIFT was a skip for me.....
  • "The Need For Speed series at EA seems to be like the village prostitute these days, bouncing from department to department seeing who can shaft her the hardest." Ladies and Gentlemen, you witnessed the quote of the day. :-D
  • Quote of the day? It might well be the quote of the year when EA is concerned.
  • @6 I didn't get the quote at first, but I re-read it and its definitely worthy of the 'Quote of the day' title! :D Most Wanted was the best so far, looking forward to this one as Burnout is Awesome!
  • I found a copy of Carbon for PS2 in the dumpster after it first came out (along with Kingdom Hearts - great day!) and after playing it for five minutes I took it to GameStop and sold it. I haven't touched the series since, and apparently that was a good idea. Underground 2 was a decent game (the only racing game I owned for the longest time) so if this new game is more of an old school NFS crossed with Burnout then I might just be able to get back into unrealistic racers. We'll see.
  • It was a good decision of them to give NFS to the hands of Criterion. Maybe they should name it: "Need for Speed - and Crashes!"
  • need for burnout. what a great freakin idea. havent played a NFS game in a while. used to love most wanted 2 on the original xbox... looking forward to this!
  • put in the hands of legends, need for speed: burnout
  • what a crap idea! just drop NFS and let Criterion make a new Burnout instead, Burnout has been lush every game
  • they should call it like fifa Need for speed 2010, Need for speed 2011 xD
  • Lets hope this change is for the better, because Burnout Paradise wasn't really that good either. I still love Burnout 3 and Need for Speed Underground. Put those to games together and make an awesome game.
  • I love Criterion and the Burnout series but I was hoping for another Burnout game. EA should just let the NFS series die already. I'm definitely not going to get excited for a NFS game, no matter whos making it.
  • i think this could be the winning combination the NFS series has needed since most wanted. criterion knows how to make a racing game.
  • *SHOCK* *GASP* *EXCITMENT* :D
  • Lol on the prostitute thing :-D definitely the quote of the day
  • hmmm.. will pass, seeing how criterion is really slow on their dlc and the dlc they do release is mosty crap.. burnout paradise was good, but it got old fast, specially the glitching..
  • Smart move by EA Criterion are AAA developers.
  • @20: So if I understand what you're saying Evol Error... You only buy games which get a lot of DLC where you'll have to pay extra to get content that should have been in the game in the first place and you play games for glitches...?? Woow, have I been playing games for the wrong reasons... OT: Can't wait to see what Criterion will do with it. NFS Shift was ok but I've sold it shortly after I had finished it cuz Forza was coming. The others were crap, except Most Wanted.
  • Wow have EA finally realised that need for speed should be a street racing game? That only took them like seven years!
  • NFS Hot Pursuit is my favourite!
  • Ugh, not that I liked Need for Speed in the first place, but with Criterion behind the wheel, no way I'll buy. Burnout Paradise was horrible. I wanted to play a video game, not watch one play itself for half of the time I had it on.
  • Need for speed underground 3, nuff said
  • 1. The last great need for speed was Hot Pursuit 2. Since then the game has lost any direction. 2. I LOVED the Burnout series but then they spoiled it with Paradise City. Not every driving game needs to have a sandbox environment. 3. Criterion can't save the sinking ship because they will always hold something back for Burnout
  • then there is hope for the series. Underground I liked, the rest of them i didn't.
  • I think Criterion have been put in the drivers seat of a crashing vehicle. No matter what they do i think the series has gone a tad stale personaly.
  • #26 stole my quote :O but underground was best. useless but awesome car modification, photoshoots and general awesomeness - underground 2 owns all other NFS titles.
  • Would rather see another Burnout title.
  • EA admitting they got something wrong. So Criterion are now working on a Burnout Paradise sequel, the official Next Gen Formula 1 game, and now a Need For Speed game eh? The future is bright.
  • now if only Activision will admit that Band Hero is entirely unnecessary and it will be a stellar year :P
  • I seem to get excited before the release of every NFS game and have continually been disappointed sense Carbon (excluding pro street) so it will be interesting to see if this time is any different.
  • I quit NFS after midnight on the original xbox, but I think i'll be picking up the next one considering I'm a huge burnout fan playing the series from the beginning when I was younger and I still play a fair amount of paradise, hope they can revive the series.
  • I meant Most Wanted not midnight, thinking of playing midnight club again, lol
  • need for speed might actually be need for speed again? Good news to me... although i would prefer a new Burnout (preferably with a proper crash mode this time).
  • This is a little disappointing. Need for Speed: Shift was fantastic and a real return to form for the series, it may even by my favourite of all NFS games. I love the Burnout series, Revenge may be the finest arcade racer ever made, but Burnout Paradise was a massive step back from Revenge, lacking structure and a ruined online mode with people taking their own routes, if they're making the next NFS game they had better put structure back into it.
  • Sounds good, criterion sure has delivered some quality racing games I excpect nothing less from them with NFS.
  • #3 are you kidding? The free roaming in NFS in an open city is horrible! NFS was a great arcade racer for the first two parts, after that, underground 1 was the last good one.
  • fucking FINALLY! That's all I have to say :P
  • @40 I agree somehow I enjoyed the PS1 NFS games and Underground 1 the most.
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