Need for Speed Series May be Finished

[Shawn Zipay]

According to the latest Electric Playground web show, EA may be closing the doors on the Need for Speed series of racing titles. In the show, claims were made that all future titles in the series are now canceled.

1UP contacted EA for an official statement. Here is what Colin Macrae, the EA director of communications, had to say on the subject:

"We're working through a process on people, products, and facilities at EA and don't have any announcements today."

Despite relatively strong sales of Need for Speed: Undercover, the latest in the series, the game failed to break the top 20 for the entire month of November.

Electric Playground (via 1UP)

Update:

We've received a tip from someone a purported EA employ who wishes to remain anonymous. According to this source, the Need for Speed series isn't shutting down -- but EA Black Box, the development team behind recent entries into the series, "most likely" is. The source explains that EA not only scrapped their plans to open up a new studio in Vancouver, but that they also decided to close Black Box, moving the NFS and Skate teams to their much larger Burnaby studios.

The source further details the fate of Need for Speed -- he claims that one of the next entries into the series will be developed by the EA-owned Criterion Games, and will likely use the engine of their racing series, Burnout. He also claims that there are three different teams within Black Box that are responsible for developing Need for Speed titles (which is how they're able to release a new NFS title every year) -- though these three teams will likely consolidate into one, leading to less NFS releases, more continuity between said releases, and, ultimately, drastic downsizing for the NFS teams.

Source: Joystiq

[teetsaar123]

Re: Need for Speed Series May be Finished

So Undercover sucked that hard eh?

[CptainCrunch]

Re: Need for Speed Series May be Finished

This is my type of game, but I would think with the many different versions out there, there may be nothing "fresh" about the series.

Kinda the same complaints about CoD5.

Crunch

[Obsidian Spire]

Re: Need for Speed Series May be Finished

Last Need for Speed game I played was the second one, Hot Pursuit and a slightly more recent on, Most Wanted. Were pretty good, if a little easy. Maybe by focusing on bigger series, other genres can evolve. Racing has pretty much stayed the same throughout its life, but there are still minute improvements to be made. Let's just hope there never comes a day with serial racing games being released every year. Too much like Madden in that instance.

[[1SOC]3|Pvt.Avr]

Re: Need for Speed Series May be Finished

Thank god.

[Dan2k3k4]

Re: Need for Speed Series May be Finished

I think they've made enough NFS titles anyway... they'll probably come back with a brand new racing title, maybe even Wipeout style? or even some sort of Road Rage title? :lol:

I wouldn't mind seeing a racing title that mixes: Wipeout, Mario Kart, Road Rage AND Gran Turismo, with a little bit of GRID

[AllFoamNoBeer]

Re: Need for Speed Series May be Finished

I truly will miss the NFS series.

[imported_Cryptik]

Re: Need for Speed Series May be Finished

NFS hasn't been NFS since Underground glad they decided to give up.

[Torchwood]

Re: Need for Speed Series May be Finished

It was ProStreet that was the major letdown, Undercover is awesome though.

[Shawn Zipay]

Re: Need for Speed Series May be Finished

I remember enjoying going to Best Buy when I was younger just so I could play the NFS demo they had running on the display 3DO system.

[CtrlAltDe1337]

Re: Need for Speed Series May be Finished

I remember the old NFS chairs at arcades...but IMO its about time they moved on to another series.

[imported_Cryptik]

Re: Need for Speed Series May be Finished

It was ProStreet that was the major letdown, Undercover is awesome though.

Undercover is the biggest let down ever look at the reviews

[MrKLM]

Re: Need for Speed Series May be Finished

I have the original Need for Speed for PC.



I think that EA is having better luck with games like Burnout Paradise and will continue with that series.

[lewdis]

Re: Need for Speed Series May be Finished

I loved playing Need for Speed: Underground 1 & 2 and Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2. I haven't really played the newer releases of NFS.

[Obsidian Spire]

Re: Need for Speed Series May be Finished

Undercover is the biggest let down ever look at the reviews

No. Reviewers are not always right. "Biggest let down ever" is entirely subjective. Your opinion is shallow and trite if you are basing your opinion solely off of reviews.