EA delays Need for Speed by a year, reassigns Criterion Games to Battlefield 6

[Humza]

What just happened? EA has decided to put its next Need for Speed game on the back burner to focus on Battlefield 6. Criterion Games, who'd been working on a next-gen NFS experience, have now been reassigned to assist DICE with developing the upcoming Battlefield game that's set to release later this holiday season.

Criterion Games quickly got to work on remastering 2010's Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit after being put in charge of the racing franchise last year. The studio's next-gen vision for the series would have come to fruition in 2021, but it's now been tasked by EA to help DICE in finishing off the upcoming Battlefield game.

Although development on the first-person shooter was tracking ahead of 'internal milestones,' as EA CEO, Andrew Wilson, told investors last month, the decision to bring over Criterion resources to prioritize Battlefield 6 comes in the wake of challenging working conditions imposed by the ongoing pandemic and the fact that EA's $1.2 billion Codemasters acquisition will keep at least one racing game in the pipeline this year.

"[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,” said Laura Miele, EA's chief studio officer, in an interview with Polygon. “And it’s hard; it’s hard to make games from home, and the [EA DICE] team is fatigued a bit," she added.

EA also knows that the next Battlefield needs to deliver something special following the underwhelming performance of 2018's Battlefield V. While there have been rumors of a Battlefield 3 and 4-like modern-day setting making a return, EA has teased immersive battles on maps with an unprecedented scale and next-gen destruction that could see up to 128 players in a match.

A full reveal has been planned for Spring, so Battlefield fans won't have to wait much longer. Meanwhile, those looking to get their fill of the next-gen Need for Speed will have to wait until Criterion can return to the driving seat for a 2022 release.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/88784-ea-delays-need-speed-year-reassigns-criterion-games.html

 

[QuantumPhysics]

"EA also knows that the next Battlefield needs to deliver something special following the underwhelming performance of 2018's Battlefield V."

I hope that the poor sales of Battlefield V showed these people at EA that we aren't interested in the wars of old.

We want "Modern Warfare".

We want war against recognizable geopolitical enemies.

One of the best aspects of Crysis was that it put American soldiers directly into conflict with ethnically identifiable North Koreans.

The first Battlefield I played on the original Xbox was a conflict against China - while Battlefield 3 was against Iran.

I bought Xbox One just to get my hands on Battlefield 4, and then refused to buy Battlefield V.

Considering how much power modern CPU and GPU have, I demand to have fully destructible environments as well as player character models. Anything less than what I want and I refuse to buy. That simple.

 

[Nobina]

Why the need to delay NFS? Just copy paste the previous one and give it a new name, not like that's not what they were doing before. Job done.

 

[Lounds]

Or get that studio to make a Burnout successor.

 

[DZillaXx]

I only play Battlefield for the multiplayer.

Bad Company 2 was Amazing. Really brought back the battlefield series.

BF3 was nearly perfect, so many good memories. It really doesn't seem like much time as passed since I first booted up the public beta.. Time passes by too quick.

BF4 was good, more of the same. Didn't like most of the maps as much as I did with BF3.

BF1 was Meh, I really was not into old guns and old environments. I tried time and time again to get into it, just could not do it. Going old school really didn't do the brand justice.

BF5 was just as Meh, it was dumb for them to keep up with the old school idea. I would have made more sense to call it BF2. But really this game once again was a waste of time and the BF game to play still was BF4.

BF6 better be the successor to BF4 and bring back the awesome destructiveness that Bad Company 2 had.

Call of Duty has been crap for years too. But I never got into CoD like I did Battlefield. Bad Company 2 and BF3 online scene on the PC will be missed.

 

[QuantumPhysics]

BF3 was nearly perfect, so many good memories. I really doesn't seem like much time as passed since I first booted up the public beta.. Time passes by too quick.

BF4 was good, more of the same. Didn't like most of the maps as much as I did with BF3.

In Battlefield 2 and 3, I used to terrorize people in the Helicopter. You couldn't kill me fast enough to stop me from repairing and coming after your entire team, machine guns blazing.

Battlefield 4 ruined my Helicopter fun. People tended to get a jet and crash right into me to stop me.

 

[Bl00dyMinded]

Can we get a Need for Speed Underground... Need for speed was fun back then

 

[nnguy2]

I only play Battlefield for the multiplayer.

Bad Company 2 was Amazing. Really brought back the battlefield series.

BF3 was nearly perfect, so many good memories. It really doesn't seem like much time as passed since I first booted up the public beta.. Time passes by too quick.

BF4 was good, more of the same. Didn't like most of the maps as much as I did with BF3.

BF1 was Meh, I really was not into old guns and old environments. I tried time and time again to get into it, just could not do it. Going old school really didn't do the brand justice.

BF5 was just as Meh, it was dumb for them to keep up with the old school idea. I would have made more sense to call it BF2. But really this game once again was a waste of time and the BF game to play still was BF4.

BF6 better be the successor to BF4 and bring back the awesome destructiveness that Bad Company 2 had.

Call of Duty has been crap for years too. But I never got into CoD like I did Battlefield. Bad Company 2 and BF3 online scene on the PC will be missed.

Everyone forgot Battlefield: Hardline existed lol

 

[Peter Farkas]

Can we get a Need for Speed Underground... Need for speed was fun back then

and perhaps less story driven and more open world...

 

[Burty117]

Everyone forgot Battlefield: Hardline existed lol

Battlefield what now?

 

[GamerNerves]

Battlefield...
BC2: Fun yet rather simple. Destruction really enhanced the experience.
3: Good, but ran sometimes too slow. Overall had little more depth and remarkable visuals.
4: Much the same with maps that required connected teamplay, though few maps were not good. Compared to 3 overall more enjoyable due to further additions and class changes.
1: Immediately more fluid and engaging to play, but shallow approach in design on top of missing features made the game brief, rather dull experience.
5: Better than 1 feature wise, but has immersion braking inclusion of women and is somehow a step back from the fluidness of 1, while also having somewhat unpleasing visuals. Clearly a case of badly managed development with various views. Obviously not fun to play.

As you can see, I have missed the Battlefield 2 experience altogether, but looking at the gameplay, it seems just what the multiplayer shooter scene needs once more. I so much hope they add the teamplay oriented gameplay back with the complexity that truly big maps introduce, which the article actually mentions. Let's go some way back to the earlier experience but with enhanced modern mechanics!

 

[Nobina]

Can we get a Need for Speed Underground... Need for speed was fun back then

It wouldn't work today I think.

 

[Adhmuz]

Or get that studio to make a Burnout successor.

Can we get a Need for Speed Underground... Need for speed was fun back then

Burnout Underground.

Done problem solved, everyone wins.

 

[Adhmuz]

Everyone forgot Battlefield: Hardline existed lol

Wasn't that a DLC to BF4? Or really should have been if it wasn't.

 

[toooooot]

They said that if customers dont like women in bf5, they shouldnt buy it or something like that. The sales were poor compared to previous games, especially given their growing expenses on advertisement and bribing game journalists.
If the next game sells even worse than bf5, maybe EA will finally be able to do what they ve done with other great studios, maybe they will manage to kill DICE.
Again, did not the person in charge of bf5 was politely asked to leave? I mean they said he found another job, which does not sound right given questionable success of the fifth game.
I dont want a game that feels like bf5. Although I gotta admit, hearing female characters scream when they are killed is the most hilarious thing in the game.
EA, DICE, I dare you to find your balls and present bf6 like this:
"Haters, opressors, misogynist and other 90% of the people who bought our games in the past, do not buy our game, do not play it. We never needed you, we will be fine without you. Love and respect, love and respect. Peace."

 

[Lounds]

Battlefield...
BC2: Fun yet rather simple. Destruction really enhanced the experience.
3: Good, but ran sometimes too slow. Overall had little more depth and remarkable visuals.
4: Much the same with maps that required connected teamplay, though few maps were not good. Compared to 3 overall more enjoyable due to further additions and class changes.
1: Immediately more fluid and engaging to play, but shallow approach in design on top of missing features made the game brief, rather dull experience.
5: Better than 1 feature wise, but has immersion braking inclusion of women and is somehow a step back from the fluidness of 1, while also having somewhat unpleasing visuals. Clearly a case of badly managed development with various views. Obviously not fun to play.

As you can see, I have missed the Battlefield 2 experience altogether, but looking at the gameplay, it seems just what the multiplayer shooter scene needs once more. I so much hope they add the teamplay oriented gameplay back with the complexity that truly big maps introduce, which the article actually mentions. Let's go some way back to the earlier experience but with enhanced modern mechanics!

Tbf my favourite Battlefield game was 2142.
The titan mode was epic.

 

[Reehahs]

What is EA planning to do? Make racing tanks better in Battlefield?

 

[candle_86]

I'd it's more battlefield sjw they can keep it

 

[sreams]

Would love something like Porsche Unleashed. Loved that game.

 

[king cleanass]

Battlefield what now?

Hardline was surprisingly good, but it should never have been released as a Battlefield title. The gunplay was fantastic, it's a shame it's a dead game.

It's a shame Battlefield did away with so many customizable features. The custom emblems were fun, even if it got tiring of seeing anime asses. I'm sure they're never coming back though, since some edgy fellow might put a windmill of friendship and tolerance as his emblem and offend the mental children infesting our society.

 

[nnguy2]

Hardline was surprisingly good, but it should never have been released as a Battlefield title. The gunplay was fantastic, it's a shame it's a dead game.

It's a shame Battlefield did away with so many customizable features. The custom emblems were fun, even if it got tiring of seeing anime asses. I'm sure they're never coming back though, since some edgy fellow might put a windmill of friendship and tolerance as his emblem and offend the mental children infesting our society.

Some modes were fun as hell the heist and hotwire were

 

[king cleanass]

Some modes were fun as hell the heist and hotwire were

Let's not forget magdumping out of a speeding car while "woop woop that's the sound of the police" plays.

 

[king cleanass]

What is EA planning to do? Make racing tanks better in Battlefield?

I don't know about you, but I'm looking forward to the new tank drifting gamemode

 

[nnguy2]

In Battlefield 2 and 3, I used to terrorize people in the Helicopter. You couldn't kill me fast enough to stop me from repairing and coming after your entire team, machine guns blazing.

Battlefield 4 ruined my Helicopter fun. People tended to get a jet and crash right into me to stop me.

So you're the guy that complained about Stingers... "pfff I would have been 170-0 instead of 168-2 if it weren't for overpowered stingers"