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Need for Speed
Need for Speed (NFS) is a racing game franchise published by Electronic Arts and currently developed by Criterion Games (the developers of the Burnout series). Most entries in the series are generally arcade racing games centered around illegal street racing, and tasks players to complete various types of races, while evading the local law enforcement in police pursuits. Some entries also do not follow the basic setup of most titles and are instead simulation racers, focus on legal circuit races, feature kart racing game elements, or feature illegal street racing but not feature police pursuits. Need for Speed is one of EA's oldest franchises not published under their EA Sports brand.
The series' first title, The Need for Speed, was released in 1994. The latest installment, Need for Speed Unbound, was released on December 2, 2022. Additionally, a free-to-play mobile installment released in 2015, Need for Speed: No Limits, is actively developed by Firemonkeys Studios (the developers of Real Racing 3).
The series titles have been overseen and developed by multiple notable teams over the years, including EA Canada, EA Black Box, Slightly Mad Studios, and Ghost Games. Several Need for Speed games have been well-received critically, and the franchise has been one of the most successful of all time, selling over 150 million copies as of October 2013. The franchise has expanded into other forms of media, including a film adaptation and licensed Hot Wheels toys.
The Need for Speed series was originally developed by Distinctive Software, a video game studio based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Prior to Electronic Arts' purchase of the company in 1991, it had created popular racing games such as Stunts and Test Drive II: The Duel. After the purchase, the company was renamed Electronic Arts (EA) Canada. The company capitalized on its experience in the domain by developing the Need for Speed series in late 1992.[citation needed] EA Canada continued to develop and expand the Need for Speed franchise up to 2002, when another Vancouver-based developer, named Black Box Games, was acquired by EA and contracted to continue the series with Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2. Meanwhile, Slightly Mad Studios would develop the 2009 sim racing title, Need for Speed: Shift, and its 2011 sequel, Shift 2: Unleashed.
The UK-based Criterion Games would develop the 2010 Hot Pursuit title; a successor to 1998's Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit. The game introduced a social platform, titled Autolog, which allows players to track game progress, view leaderboards, share screenshots with friends, among other features. The 2010 Hot Pursuit game would be well-received; a remastered version was released ten years later in 2020. As a result of Hot Pursuit's critical success, in-contrast to the mixed reception of the Black Box-developed installments since 2007's Need for Speed: ProStreet, Criterion would become the lead developer of the franchise going forward. At E3 2012, Criterion Games vice president Alex Ward announced that random developers would no longer be developing NFS titles. Ward wouldn't confirm that all Need for Speed games in the future would be developed entirely by Criterion, but he did say the studio would have "strong involvement" in them and would have control over which NFS titles would be released in the future.
In August 2013, following the downsizing of Criterion Games, EA Swedish developer Ghost Games would become the main studio for the franchise, and oversee its future development. At the time, 80% of Ghost Games' work force consisted of former Criterion Games employees. From 2013 to 2019, Ghost Games would develop Need for Speed Rivals, the 2015 franchise reboot, 2017's Need for Speed Payback, and 2019's Need for Speed Heat. While Rivals was positively-received, the 2015 reboot and its follow-ups received more mixed reviews.
In February 2020, Criterion regained oversight of the franchise, with its first release since then being 2022's Need for Speed Unbound. Meanwhile, several past entries (namely Need for Speed: Carbon, Need for Speed: Undercover, Shift, Shift 2 and Need for Speed: The Run), with the exception of 2010's Hot Pursuit, and 2012's Need for Speed: Most Wanted, became delisted from online stores. Their respective online servers were shut down on August 31, 2021.
As part of a larger company organization in September 2023, Criterion Games was shifted from EA Sports to EA Entertainment, with the majority of the studio working to support the Battlefield series, though some of the studio were still assigned to develop the next Need for Speed title according to EA's Vince Zampella. EA stated that development on the next Need for Speed title had been placed on hold in February 2025, as EA shifted the whole of Criterion on Battlefield 6 and later rebranded Criterion as Criterion – A Battlefield Studio in August 2025, though they plan to bring back the series at a later time.
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Need for Speed
Need for Speed (NFS) is a racing game franchise published by Electronic Arts and currently developed by Criterion Games (the developers of the Burnout series). Most entries in the series are generally arcade racing games centered around illegal street racing, and tasks players to complete various types of races, while evading the local law enforcement in police pursuits. Some entries also do not follow the basic setup of most titles and are instead simulation racers, focus on legal circuit races, feature kart racing game elements, or feature illegal street racing but not feature police pursuits. Need for Speed is one of EA's oldest franchises not published under their EA Sports brand.
The series' first title, The Need for Speed, was released in 1994. The latest installment, Need for Speed Unbound, was released on December 2, 2022. Additionally, a free-to-play mobile installment released in 2015, Need for Speed: No Limits, is actively developed by Firemonkeys Studios (the developers of Real Racing 3).
The series titles have been overseen and developed by multiple notable teams over the years, including EA Canada, EA Black Box, Slightly Mad Studios, and Ghost Games. Several Need for Speed games have been well-received critically, and the franchise has been one of the most successful of all time, selling over 150 million copies as of October 2013. The franchise has expanded into other forms of media, including a film adaptation and licensed Hot Wheels toys.
The Need for Speed series was originally developed by Distinctive Software, a video game studio based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Prior to Electronic Arts' purchase of the company in 1991, it had created popular racing games such as Stunts and Test Drive II: The Duel. After the purchase, the company was renamed Electronic Arts (EA) Canada. The company capitalized on its experience in the domain by developing the Need for Speed series in late 1992.[citation needed] EA Canada continued to develop and expand the Need for Speed franchise up to 2002, when another Vancouver-based developer, named Black Box Games, was acquired by EA and contracted to continue the series with Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2. Meanwhile, Slightly Mad Studios would develop the 2009 sim racing title, Need for Speed: Shift, and its 2011 sequel, Shift 2: Unleashed.
The UK-based Criterion Games would develop the 2010 Hot Pursuit title; a successor to 1998's Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit. The game introduced a social platform, titled Autolog, which allows players to track game progress, view leaderboards, share screenshots with friends, among other features. The 2010 Hot Pursuit game would be well-received; a remastered version was released ten years later in 2020. As a result of Hot Pursuit's critical success, in-contrast to the mixed reception of the Black Box-developed installments since 2007's Need for Speed: ProStreet, Criterion would become the lead developer of the franchise going forward. At E3 2012, Criterion Games vice president Alex Ward announced that random developers would no longer be developing NFS titles. Ward wouldn't confirm that all Need for Speed games in the future would be developed entirely by Criterion, but he did say the studio would have "strong involvement" in them and would have control over which NFS titles would be released in the future.
In August 2013, following the downsizing of Criterion Games, EA Swedish developer Ghost Games would become the main studio for the franchise, and oversee its future development. At the time, 80% of Ghost Games' work force consisted of former Criterion Games employees. From 2013 to 2019, Ghost Games would develop Need for Speed Rivals, the 2015 franchise reboot, 2017's Need for Speed Payback, and 2019's Need for Speed Heat. While Rivals was positively-received, the 2015 reboot and its follow-ups received more mixed reviews.
In February 2020, Criterion regained oversight of the franchise, with its first release since then being 2022's Need for Speed Unbound. Meanwhile, several past entries (namely Need for Speed: Carbon, Need for Speed: Undercover, Shift, Shift 2 and Need for Speed: The Run), with the exception of 2010's Hot Pursuit, and 2012's Need for Speed: Most Wanted, became delisted from online stores. Their respective online servers were shut down on August 31, 2021.
As part of a larger company organization in September 2023, Criterion Games was shifted from EA Sports to EA Entertainment, with the majority of the studio working to support the Battlefield series, though some of the studio were still assigned to develop the next Need for Speed title according to EA's Vince Zampella. EA stated that development on the next Need for Speed title had been placed on hold in February 2025, as EA shifted the whole of Criterion on Battlefield 6 and later rebranded Criterion as Criterion – A Battlefield Studio in August 2025, though they plan to bring back the series at a later time.