Back in 2020, it was announced that original Need for Speed creators Criterion Games was returning to the series, but haven’t been given much information since then. Back in 2021 it was announced that Criterion was putting the Need for Speed project on hold in order to help get Battlefield 2042 out the door, and we haven’t got an update since. Has Criterion returned to the game or is it still stuck in limbo?
Well, during the latest episode of his GrubbSnax show, insider Jeff Grubb provided an encouraging update on the game. Apparently, the new Need for Speed is on track to arrive in 2022, and will now be a next-gen console exclusive…
Need for Speed […] is still coming this year. That game should be coming in November, and I suppose if you’re a Need for Speed fan who has bought a next-gen console, here’s some good news — it’s next-gen only. They are shifting to next-gen only for that.
Grubb also mentioned some things he’d heard about the game’s setting, although he seems less sure about these particular rumors.
There [are] rumors about what the setting is that I’ve heard. It’s hard to pin down if these are for sure or not. I’ve heard stuff like Miami, which makes me think maybe they’ll go an Underground route. That could be leaps of logic I’m making.
Of course, as always, take this with a grain of salt for now. Criterion delivering Need for Speed in 2022 seems a little soon, particularly given they had to take a break last year to focus on Battlefield 2042. Then again, Criterion knows racing games inside and out, so I doubt they would have encountered many development issues. Maybe work on the game has just been very efficient. As for what we can expect from the next Need for Speed, Criterion is promising to build on previous games in the series for the “most expressive, most socially connected, action-packed game [in the series] yet.”
What do you think? Are you feeling the Need for Speed? Or have the last few so-so entries soured you on the franchise?
