EA has reportedly put its long-running Need for Speed franchise on hiatus, sparking fresh concerns over the future of one of the most iconic names in racing games. Although EA has yet to issue an official statement, recent developments within the community and EA’s internal priorities suggest the series may be sidelined for the foreseeable future.
Need for Speed’s Legacy and Recent Struggles
Since debuting in 1994, Need for Speed has been a cornerstone of EA’s portfolio, delivering adrenaline-fueled arcade racing, customizable cars, and open-world exploration. For decades, the franchise defined street racing for an entire generation of players.
However, the past decade has seen a noticeable decline in its commercial and critical success. The most recent release, 2022’s Need for Speed Unbound, was met with initial enthusiasm but ultimately underperformed at retail, dampening EA’s confidence in the brand’s immediate future.
Criterion’s Shift Away From Need for Speed
Earlier this year, EA reassigned Criterion Games — the current studio behind Need for Speed — to work entirely on Battlefield 6. At the time, Criterion assured fans that the Need for Speed series was still alive, but new evidence paints a different picture.
Matthew Everingham, a veteran contributor to the EA-backed car culture site Speedhunters (closely tied to the Need for Speed brand), stated in a recent Instagram post that Speedhunters is “on ice” because “EA shelved Need for Speed.” The site itself has not seen an update since April 2025, lending further weight to his claim.
Speedhunters and NFS Both in Jeopardy
The deep ties between Speedhunters and Need for Speed suggest that EA’s decision to shelve one directly affects the other. While the company has not publicly addressed the reports, the only recent official communication about the franchise was an announcement that online servers for Need for Speed Rivals will shut down on October 7, 2025.
Server closures for older titles are not unusual, but with Criterion fully engaged elsewhere and no successor studio named, fans now fear that a new entry in the series could be years away — potentially not arriving until 2030 or later.
A Rough Month for Racing Fans
This report comes amid an already turbulent period for racing game enthusiasts. Just last week, Forza Motorsport developer Turn 10 suffered significant layoffs, casting doubt over the future of that series as well.
With Forza Horizon 5 continuing to dominate the open-world racing scene, there’s still clearly demand for high-quality arcade racers. Whether EA will choose to reinvest in Need for Speed and capitalize on that audience remains to be seen. For now, however, the franchise’s future appears to be parked indefinitely.
