Latest news with #NeedForSpeed
Metro
24-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Battlefield 6 reveal trailer is live now, with multiplayer showcase to follow
After dropping a new trailer, EA calls next week's Battlefield 6 multiplayer presentation the 'biggest moment' in the series' history. EA has been hyping up its next Battlefield game, recently confirmed to be called Battlefield 6, for quite a while but has so far kept a lot of details close to its chest, beyond a brief gameplay tease and plans for a public beta test. Most info has leaked from private test sessions and datamines, including Battlefield 6's purported October 10 release date. Just a couple of days ago though, EA finally promised an official reveal trailer for the game. That trailer is now live and if you feel it doesn't show enough, EA has confirmed that a 'blockbuster' multiplayer reveal is already scheduled to take place in the very near future. There is some gameplay to be enjoyed in the trailer, with the series' trademark destruction effects getting particular focus and still looking impressive, but just as much time is spent on cinematics. These will be part of the new single-player campaign, something that was notably absent from the last game – Battlefield 2042 – so that's already one point in Battlefield 6's favour. Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning. We couldn't tell you what the story's about beyond soldiers fighting one another, but the trailer does give a first look at private military company Pax Armata. From EA's description, Pax Armata will serve as antagonists as they are 'bankrolled by former NATO states whose agenda threatens to throw the world into global conflict.' A Battlefield 6 multiplayer showcase is scheduled to take place next week on Thursday, July 31. So, the good news is you don't need to wait long for it. The bad news is that you'll need to be up very early in the morning to watch it live, since it airs at 7:30 in the morning. Calling it the 'biggest moment in Battlefield history', all EA is saying is that the showcase will show off some of Battlefield 6's maps, new and returning gameplay modes, and more besides. This will be followed by gameplay streams from content creators who have been given early access to Battlefield 6, with yet another event scheduled to run on August 2 in Hong Kong. With EA touting Battlefield 6 as the 'ultimate all-out warfare experience' and the 'most ambitious title in the series' history', the company clearly has high expectations for the game. More Trending After all, it has no less than four studios working on it. Aside from series developer DICE, Motive Studio, Ripple Effect, and even Need For Speed's Criterion Games have been enlisted, with all of them working under the banner Battlefield Studios. Not to mention a report from earlier this month alleged that EA higher-ups are hoping Battlefield 6 will attract at least 100 million players; a number no doubt inspired by the popularity of games like Fortnite. EA has not provided an official release date yet, but if that datamined October 10 date is accurate, then the company is confident enough to go head-to-head with Call Of Duty – relatively speaking. This year's entry, Black Ops 7, also lacks a release date, but Call Of Duty games typically launch later in autumn, and one rumour points to it arriving on November 14. Email gamecentral@ leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader's Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. MORE: New Battlefield is set in modern day – dev calls PS5 Pro price 'not that bad' MORE: Battlefield 6 rumour claims 98% of the series' developers have left MORE: Battlefield was always a fan made game and EA has never understood it – Reader's Feature
Metro
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Games Inbox: What is the next Assassin's Creed game?
The Tuesday letters page is unimpressed with how EA's handled the Need For Speed franchise, as one reader is upset MindsEye isn't on sale yet. To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@ Next, please I've just finished Assassin's Creed Shadows and I enjoyed it. It was bloated and unoriginal and all the usual complaints, but the action was fun and after all the complaining I liked the characters, even if I stopped paying attention a bit to the actual story. I know there's meant to be a 100 other games in development at the moment, but it made me realise I don't actually know what the next mainline one is supposed to be? I'm hoping for something set in South America, which I don't think we've even had in a spin-off, but I really don't know what they're planning. A lot of people are down on the series but apart from all the bugs in Unity I've never really been disappointed by any of them. I don't take them too seriously and don't get involved with all the Ubisoft hate, so I find they're a good game to relax with, that you know won't kick your ass. Bosley GC: The next mainline one is believed to be codenamed Hexe. Hexe means witch in German and Ubisoft had a teaser video with some Blair Witch style imagery, so it seems pretty clear the rumours about a game set in 16th century Germany are true. The rumoured release date of 2026 may be subject to change though. Slow Fallout I get the feeling that in a few years, when the Amazon show is over and forgotten, we're going to be drowning in new Fallout games, just at the point that they're not needed anymore. It's what's going to become a classic problem in the future, I think, where a company tries to jump on a bandwagon but forgets it takes more than five years to make a game nowadays, so when the game comes out it's yesterday's news. Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning. I'm not saying I don't want more Fallout games but to have a bunch of them all coming out in 2030 is going to be pretty weird. Like the reader said, Bethesda has mismanaged all this and they should've had a steady stream of spin-offs, if not mainline games. Now Microsoft is just going to force them to pump out as many as possible, as quickly as possible. Even if quickly is relative. Doshin Niche of a niche So, just as we all assumed, these Asus Xbox portables are just going to be an expensive novelty. Nobody's going to be buying these for their kid's birthday or anything. Not only do they cost too much but they're not consoles, they're just portable PCs. Although I imagine there's a fair percentage of people that are going to be buying one not realising that. The whole idea seems such a non-event, a niche of a niche, that will be forgotten almost as soon as they're released. Technically that's not a criticism, but if Microsoft have a plan, beyond U-turning every one of their announcements at least once, I wish they'd cut to that, instead of wasting their time with trivial stuff. Every minute they waste on these portables is another where it seems like they don't know what they're doing. Kogborn Email your comments to: gamecentral@ That's the way to do it Regarding the 'surprise' success of Elden Ring Nightreign and it being on sale on Amazon, I would say to anyone that can afford it to give the game a go. It's not even full price to start with, which I think explains a lot of its success, and it's very quick to play through a round, whether you win or lose. All these companies desperate for a live service hit should look closely at what From has done as I don't even imagine it was a very expensive game to make. A lot of it is reused assets, so they probably wouldn't have cared much if it wasn't a hit. That's the sort of attitude you've got to have, I think. Compare that to Sony banking a whole generation on such games and then spending $400 million making Concord. They did every possible thing wrong, while From just waltzed in there and is currently even beating Helldivers 2. Loops Grim reality In regard to Zeiss's email regarding how difficult a game should be. I agree if a studio have only one difficulty level for a game as their choice, but… I am a gaming veteran of 40-odd years, with a full time job and a social life, so to have a very difficult game to try to beat is sometimes nigh on impossible for me. I have been playing Black Myth: Wukong since it came out and I think that paying £50 to £70 for games with brilliant graphics that I most probably will never see the end of is slightly depressing. Gaz69 Need for better decisions I often wonder how some of these companies (and I don't even just mean games companies) have lasted as long as they have with some of the decisions they make. I'm not going to talk about Microsoft again though, but instead EA and the terrible way they've handled Need For Speed over the years and… decades, really. As you said in your article, Need For Speed used to be one of the biggest games around and now it's probably dead, maybe forever. How they never made an Underground 3 I will never know, especially as all they did make in recent years is remakes and low budget rip-offs of Fast & Furious. They never made a game anyone would be interested in, just tried to wallow in the wrong kind of nostalgia and chased trends that were already old by the time their games came out. It's impossible that people could be bored of racers. The world didn't suddenly decide that racing fast cars is boring, any more than it got tired of playing soldiers. The problem wasn't with the concept of Need For Speed but the boring, low effort, low budget games EA kept making. They really would've been better off with Burnout but that's obviously not going to happen. And the reason they're not going to give it a proper try? Because they've got Criterion and all their other studios working on Battlefield. You know, that game franchise that they keep making worse with every sequel. Sound familiar? I don't know if this is bad management or what, but I assume it is. But I also assume all the execs that got the company into this position got their company bonuses last year and probably again this year. Gorf Surprise release I must've missed a memo somewhere along the line, but I had no idea that Sony is releasing games on Switch now. It seems only family friendly ones, but everything so far seems pretty small beans. I don't know how much Everybody's Golf sells, let alone Patapon, but I'm going to guess it's not going to set the charts or Sony's bank balance alight. So why are they doing it? If they're trying to work their way up to big releases, then what are they going to be? I certainly can;'t imagine The Last Of Us on Switch 2, even Astro Bot seems a stretch in terms of what Sony would allow. Omega Switching expectations I had not realised that Hyrule Warriors: Age Of Imprisonment only said 'winter' as it's release date. I feel they wouldn't have done that if there wasn't a chance it was going to be delayed and knowing how things go that suddenly makes it very likely. I wouldn't call it anything like a disaster, but the Switch 2 launch sure has been… unexpected. With all that time and money and goodwill I expected Nintendo to come out swinging but really, they've just sort of meekly stepped on stage and done the absolute minimum effort. Mario Kart World is a great game, and I love the console itself, but I expected more, in terms of games and announcements. What's the next big one after Donkey Kong? Why have so few companies, especially Nintendo's close allies in Japan, announced little or nothing so far? The Switch 2 feels like a soft launch and I can't tell whether that's on purpose, and they're really waiting for Christmas, or if this is just it and somehow that's all Nintendo could manage. I just don't get the lack of energy and excitement, which was so clear when the Switch 1 came out. I was expecting all that and more for the Switch 2 but instead it's just kind of there. Focus Inbox also-ransI was going to pick up MindsEye in the Amazon Prime Day sale but to my surprise it wasn't part of it. I don't see how giant flops like that are still full price but great games, that are very recent, like Elden Ring Nightreign are already on sale. DON GC: There are probably a number of factors, but as a multiplayer game it probably didn't sell many physical copies, so Amazon was left with a lot of unsold ones – regardless of the game being a hit overall. I wish Atlus would remake the original isometric Persona games. I tried to get into them but just couldn't. A remake that modernised them and improved the graphics would be much more interesting to me than Persona 4 again. Limpton More Trending Email your comments to: gamecentral@ The small print New Inbox updates appear every weekday morning, with special Hot Topic Inboxes at the weekend. Readers' letters are used on merit and may be edited for length and content. You can also submit your own 500 to 600-word Reader's Feature at any time via email or our Submit Stuff page, which if used will be shown in the next available weekend slot. You can also leave your comments below and don't forget to follow us on Twitter. MORE: Games Inbox: What is the hardest game on PS5? MORE: Games Inbox: What is the easiest Soulsborne game? MORE: Games Inbox: What's the best superhero game?
Time of India
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Need for Speed franchise may have been cancelled by EA, and this game could be the reason why
Electronic Arts has reportedly put its long-running Need for Speed franchise on indefinite hiatus, according to claims from industry insiders and contributors to the EA-funded car culture website Speedhunters. The decision comes as developer Criterion Games has been fully reassigned to work on the Battlefield series . Matthew Everingham, a photographer and longtime contributor to Speedhunters, broke the news on Instagram, stating: "Speedhunters is on ice. EA shelved Need For Speed, and that means no more funding for the site. Grateful for everything — the trips, the stories, the lifelong mates." The announcement has sent shockwaves through the racing game community, as Need for Speed has been a cornerstone franchise for EA since 1994. The series' most recent entry, Need for Speed Unbound, was released in December 2022 but failed to achieve commercial success despite initial promise. Speedhunters, which has been closely affiliated with Need for Speed since 2008, hasn't published new content since April 2025. The site's store has gone offline, and its social media accounts now display blackout profile pictures, further supporting claims of the shutdown. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like An engineer reveals: One simple trick to get internet without a subscription Techno Mag Learn More Undo Criterion's Battlefield assignment leaves racing fans in the dust The writing appeared on the wall earlier this year when EA announced that Criterion Games, the studio behind Need for Speed Unbound, would be joining the multi-studio effort to revive the Battlefield franchise following the poor reception of Battlefield 2042. Former Speedhunters contributor Paddy McGrath provided insight into the site's precarious position in a Reddit comment: "There were so many times that Speedhunters was circling the drain over the last decade. We rarely knew ahead of time if our contracts would be renewed each year. A lot of brilliant and dedicated people put a lot of work in to keep things going as long as it did." EA has not issued an official statement regarding the franchise's future, though the company recently announced that Need for Speed Rivals' online servers will shut down on October 7, 2025. AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
Metro
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Need For Speed 'shelved' by EA as Forza Horizon 5 PS5 sales hit 2 million
EA's plans for Need For Speed seem to have been put in hold but Forza Horizon 5 has proven there's still a strong appetite for racing games. Arcade racing series Need For Speed was once a juggernaut franchise for EA, with its best-selling entry, 2005's Need For Speed: Most Wanted, selling over 16 million copies worldwide. The popularity of the Fast & Furious films, at around the same time, no doubt contributed to some degree, as the Need For Speed games pivoted from Hot Pursuit to street racing, with 2003's Need For Speed Underground debuting two years after the first film came out. However, while the Fast & Furious films continue to be box office juggernauts, Need For Speed's popularity has nosedived over the past decade. The last game was 2022's Need For Speed Unbound, developed by Criterion, which was a financial failure. There have been rumbles of another Need For Speed being in development at Criterion, most recently in February last year, but it seems EA has put those plans on hold. According to photojournalist Matthew Everingham, who was a contributor to an EA-backed car culture website called Speedhunters, the developer has pulled its funding for the site because it has 'shelved' Need For Speed. 'Speedhunters is on ice,' an Instagram post from Everingham reads. 'EA shelved Need For Speed, and that means no more funding for the site. Grateful for everything – the trips, the stories, the lifelong mates. I'm still shooting, just shifting gears into more video.' Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning. The Need For Speed IP is listed as an 'entertainment partner' on the Speedhunters website, which is described as an 'international collective of photographers, writers, and drivers with a shared passion for uncovering the world's most exciting car culture stories'. GameCentral has reached out to EA for comment. If Need For Speed has been shelved, this might be due to Criterion's commitments on the next Battlefield. Criterion is one of four studios working on EA's plans for a 'connected Battlefield universe', alongside DICE, Ripple Effect, and EA Motive. EA announced it had moved the 'majority' of Criterion staff onto Battlefield in 2023, but a blog post at the time claimed 'work will also continue on what's next for Need For Speed' at the developer. Earlier this year, EA laid off up to 400 staff across various studios, so it's possible Need For Speed has been caught in the crossfire as it prioritises Battlefield. It seems racing games in general have been knocked down EA's priority list, after the company ended its partnership with the World Rally Championship in May this year. 'For now, we are pausing development plans on future rally titles,' EA said at the time. Presumably EA feels racing games no longer attract the audience they once did, but there's no obvious reason why they shouldn't, as Microsoft has proven with the Forza Horizon franchise. More Trending Open world arcade racer Forza Horizon 5 has sold two million copies in one month on PlayStation 5, according to the LinkedIn profile of a former game designer at Turn 10 Studios (as spotted on ResetEra). This is particularly impressive considering the original game came out on Xbox Series X/S and PC almost four years ago, in November 2021. At the same time though, the more serious Forza Motorsport was a sales disappointment for Microsoft and developer Turn 10 was badly hit by company wide layoffs earlier this month. But Need For Speed has rarely been a serious racing game, so the problem here seems to be with EA, not changing consumer tastes. EA even has a back-up franchise to fall back on, in Criterion's Burnout series, but there seems even less chance of that returning in the short term. Email gamecentral@ leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader's Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. MORE: Xbox handheld prices accidentally leaked by Asus and they're super expensive MORE: Games Inbox: What is the hardest game on PS5? MORE: Patapon 1+2 Replay review – a PSP classic comes to Nintendo Switch
The Sun
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
EA is shutting down hugely popular racing game after 13 years with fans saying it ‘breaks my heart'
EA is shutting down a hugely popular racing game after 13 years, leaving longtime fans heartbroken. Rivals, part of the iconic Need for Speed franchise, will have its servers shut down in October 2025 — meaning some online features and achievements will soon be lost forever. The game's servers will be shut down in October 2025, meaning some features and achievements will soon be out of reach for good. Gamers in the UK and around the world have until 7 October 2025 to enjoy Need for Speed Rivals online. The shutdown will end access to multiplayer features and discontinue two Xbox achievements — Friendly Race and Buddy Bust — which both require online play with friends. Currently, only the Xbox One version has been listed for shutdown, but it's highly likely the Xbox 360 version will follow suit. EA hasn't confirmed it officially, but given past closures, the odds aren't good for the older console version. Players hoping to secure a full 1,000G completion should act fast. Friendly Race asks gamers to win a race against someone on their Friends list, while Buddy Bust requires busting a friend playing as a racer. These can only be done online — and time is running out. For those who don't have a friend still playing Rivals, groups on gaming forums like TrueAchievements are setting up sessions to help others complete the achievements before the cutoff date. But once the servers go down, those opportunities vanish. One fan wrote online: 'It breaks my heart. "This was one of the best NFS games for multiplayer fun.' Others called it 'the end of an era' and said it would be missed for its intense cops-vs-racers gameplay. Need for Speed Rivals, released in 2013, was praised for blending single-player and multiplayer experiences seamlessly — a major innovation at the time. It remains playable offline, but the full experience, including crossplay events and leaderboards, will be gone. The game is currently available on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate through EA Play, but once servers are shut, subscribers will no longer have access to the full online experience. The Xbox 360 version, meanwhile, is not backwards compatible, so players will need an original console to finish up any online trophies. EA has been gradually retiring older titles to focus on new projects. Just this year, Mirror's Edge Catalyst, Crysis 3, and NBA Jam: On Fire Edition all had their servers closed. Anthem, the live-service sci-fi shooter, is also scheduled to go offline in early 2026. While the move makes sense from a business point of view, longtime players say it's frustrating when games with active fanbases are taken offline. Some have even called for EA to open peer-to-peer options or private servers to keep these titles alive. The shutdown of Need for Speed Rivals is a reminder that online features, no matter how beloved, don't last forever. If you're planning one final ride, you'd better hit the gas — the finish line is in sight. 2
