Next Need for Speed Delayed, Criterion Now Supporting Battlefield 6

Electronic Arts told Polygon today that it has delayed the next Need for Speed game, and the studio behind the series, Criterion Games, will be supporting EA Dice on Battlefield 6. EA Chief Studios Officer Laura Miele outlined several reasons for the shift.

EA recently acquired Codemasters, and the studio is already planning to release at least one racing game under the EA banner this year. Thus, the need for another Need for Speed in the same year decreased, and it made sense to prioritize Battlefield 6 with Criterion’s support. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic had impacted working conditions.

Miele emphasized that no EA franchises are in trouble of any sort, and Criterion Games will still be working on the next Need for Speed game again next year. Seemingly understanding that last week’s news of Anthem Next development being canceled might cause some concern, she wanted to ensure fans that Criterion was involved in discussions about this decision as well.

“They’ve worked on [Star Wars] Battlefront, they’ve worked on Battlefields, and they have a really tight, close collaborative partnership with DICE,” said Miele. “I’m really confident that this is going to be a pretty positive win for them.”

So far, what we know is that development of the next Need for Speed entry will resume next year and that Battlefield 6 will launch this fall. Both titles will be on at least PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. Miele also confirmed that the next Need for Speed will launch on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.