Need for Speed 2022: Codemasters Cheshire Assisting Development with Criterion to 'Create the Future of NFS'
After much speculation that Codemasters Cheshire will be working on Need for Speed 2022 alongside Criterion Games, a LinkedIn post from EA and Codemasters has confirmed that the studio are shifting efforts to help ‘create the future of Need for Speed’ alongside Criterion.
Posting over on LinkedIn, EA Senior Recruiter Pete Johnson announced that Codemasters Cheshire - the studio behind 2020’s DIRT 5 - have a position open for an experienced Producer to join as the team as they "embark on an extraordinary journey to deliver the future of Need for Speed.”
Johnson also elaborated that the team will “come together with Criterion Games to create the future of Need for Speed”, citing that this partnership will start with the upcoming Need for Speed title then ‘extending to future facing initiatives’. Codemasters Cheshire will work with Criterion on “creative, technical and feature execution in service to the vision outlined in the Need for Speed strategy.”
The Codemasters official LinkedIn page reposted Johnson’s recruitment post, further citing as “an exceptional opportunity for a Producer to contribute in a new era for racing development.”
While the actual job description on EA’s Careers page doesn’t offer further insight into Johnson’s words, it does appear that the studio will be assisting either finishing development - much like Criterion assisted DICE with Battlefield 2042 last year - and/or working on post-launch live service support on Need for Speed 2022.
Back in February, freelance journalist and well-known industry insider Tom Henderson revealed that conversations regarding Codemasters Cheshire assisting development on Need for Speed were being held, with plans to convert the studio to assist Criterion with their upcoming game launching later this year.
Need for Speed 2022 is expected to launch later this year, with recent leaks that the title is expected to launch for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S consoles only, and will feature a photorealistic art style with ‘anime elements’ to it set in a fictional Chicago.
Most recently, a new leak has surfaced showcasing the entire map, currently dubbed as ‘Lake Shore City’, as well as new pre-alpha gameplay that seems to tease a new microtransaction currency in the game. You can find this over on BlackPanthaa’s channel.
Need for Speed 2022 is being developed by Criterion Games and now Codemasters Cheshire slated for release later this year. Be sure to stay tuned for all the latest news, rumours and discussions as we lead up to an official reveal and launch throughout the year.
[Source: LinkedIn]