As we’d inferred from recent developments, Need for Speed Unbound has made its last shift — into end-of-life status — with Criterion confirming it will receive no further updates.
Previous activities somewhat suggested that this would be the case, with the most recent update including the phrase “climactic peak of our live service journey”.
Along with this hint that Volume 9, which added the first motorbike in the entire 30-year history of the series, would be the last, EA announced a new “Ultimate Collection” DLC which included all post-launch paid content in one single bundle — either as a standalone or a game upgrade.
Criterion has now confirmed that Volume 9 is the end of the road, stating on its recent update review that “we won’t be updating the game or making any more changes” from this point on.
EA had already confirmed in late 2023 that Criterion as an entity had transitioned to the EA Entertainment branch to support work on the next Battlefield game — due this year — alongside DICE, Motive, and Ripple Effect.
However, a small team within Criterion — calling itself “Team Kaizen”, from a Japanese term for continual improvement — remained to support Unbound through 2024. That team is now joining the rest of its Criterion colleagues as the un-named Battlefield title pushes for an expected Q3 release.
What this likely means for the Need for Speed series depends on the time frame. In the short-term, and certainly through to the end of 2025, we can’t see there being any further progress and definitely no new title in the series.
Criterion has been through this process before though, supporting Battlefield 2042’s launch in November 2021 before Unbound arrived just over 12 months later. That could mean a new Need for Speed title in late-2026, assuming that the team is able to return and hit the ground running.
EA certainly hasn’t forgotten about the series, with executive vice-president Vince Zampella commenting in a statement issued to the press that “we plan to bring the franchise back in new and interesting ways”, following the feedback from the game’s 2024 updates.
Hopefully we’ll hear more soon, though realistically it’s likely to be early 2026 before Need for Speed is back in the frame.
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