Rumour: Need for Speed 2022 to Launch on Next Gen Consoles Only
The next Need for Speed title, currently in development at Criterion Games and slated to launch later this year, is reportedly now current-gen only and will not be coming to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, according to a well-known industry journalist.
Speaking exclusively on his premium show Grubbsnax, VentureBeat’s Jeff Grubb revealed that EA has plans to launch a new Need for Speed title later this year and detailed that the title has now shifted development away from older gen systems and will only be available on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S consoles.
“Need for Speed is still coming this year… that’s true, that game should be coming in November,” Grubb said. “If you are a Need for Speed fan who has bought a next-gen console, here’s some news; it’s next-gen only. They are shifting to next-gen only.”
Grubb also mentioned the title will come to PC and that it could be set in Miami, the locale 2019’s Need for Speed Heat map ‘Palm City’ was based on, however did state he wasn’t sure of that and that it will most likely be a completely different city in the United States like previous entries.
While worth taking this information with a grain of salt, Grubb has a record of tangible insider information, with him originally revealing Microsoft’s plan to launch Forza Horizon 5 in 2021 and before Forza Motorsport, as well as leaking the correct date for the PlayStation 5 reveal event back in 2020.
Back in March 2021, it was revealed Criterion Games would put Need for Speed development on hold to assist the development of Battlefield 2042, with EA’s chief studio officer Laura Miele revealing the next Need for Speed title will now release before March 2023 and would be launching for both new and old consoles.
Interestingly enough, this would also line up as the same time in the current console generation as Need for Speed (2015) did, where that was the first “current gen only” Need for Speed title, coming 2 years after the console launch. Only difference here is PS4 and Xbox One consoles were far more readily available compared to PS5 and Xbox Series X’s currently.
Only time will tell whether or not the next Need for Speed will be a current-gen exclusive, so be sure to stay tuned for all the latest Need for Speed related news, rumours and announcements as we gear up towards a big year of Need for Speed.
[Source: VGC via GamesBeat]