Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Need for Speed skips annual release, next sequel coming in 2017

By Danny Cowan May 10, 2016

need for speed sequel delayed to 2017 nfs2017 header — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Publisher Electronic Arts announced that another one of its major franchises will skip a 2016 launch as the developers of the next Need for Speed game shift their focus toward “building upon the foundations that have been laid” with last year’s multiplatform reboot.

The as-of-yet untitled Need for Speed sequel now targets a 2017 release.

“We are now building upon the foundations that have been laid with Need for Speed and delivering our next game in 2017,” series developer Ghost Games announced. “That’s not to say that we’re going quiet between now and then … far from it. We’ll be working with our community and there will be multiple opportunities to bring many of you into the studio in the coming months to get your feedback on where we’re headed.”

2015’s Need for Speed was the second series installment developed by Ghost Games, following up on 2013’s Need for Speed Rivals. Incorporated in 2011, Ghost Games houses many veteran developers, including former staff from Forza Horizon creator Playground Games and Project Gotham Racing studio Bizarre Creations.

Electronic Arts previously skipped an annual release for the series in 2014, pushing the launch of the rebooted Need for Speed back to the following year. The pattern suggests that Need for Speed is moving toward a biennial release strategy, a la Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed series.

Related: Get your Need for Speed fulfilled, check it out here

EA’s latest delay announcement follows up on the recent news that BioWare’s sci-fi RPG Mass Effect: Andromeda will also miss its planned 2016 launch. BioWare General Manager Aaryn Flynn discussed the delay in a website update issued today.

“As we’ve been playing the game at the studio recently, it’s showing us that we’re taking the game in the right direction,” Flynn said. “But we also know we need the right amount of time to make sure we deliver everything the game can be and should be — that’s our commitment from all of us to all of you. Because of that, Mass Effect: Andromeda will now ship in early 2017. We can’t wait to show you how far we’re all going to go.”

Release dates for Mass Effect: Andromeda and the next Need for Speed game are not yet known.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Contributor

Danny’s passion for video games was ignited upon his first encounter with Nintendo’s Duck Hunt, and years later, he still…

Gaming

Volgarr the Viking 2 will take you back to your Ghosts ‘n Goblins days

A viking slashes a tree in Volgarr the Viking 2.

Developer Digital Eclipse is working on a surprising project: Volgarr the Viking 2. The 2D retro sequel will launch on August 6 for PlayStation 4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

The news is an out of left field reveal. The first Volgarr the Viking game released in 2013 and was made as an ode to 1080s classics like Ghosts 'n Goblins. Despite being a small release, it sold over 1 million copies over the past decade. As revealed during today's Guerrilla Collective stream, the series is coming back with a new sequel by Digital Eclipse, the team behind this year's Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story.

Gaming

3 Days of Play PS Plus games to try this weekend (June 7-9)

Key art for Streets of Rage 4.

June 2024 is shaping up to be a pretty great month for PlayStation players. Not only are we coming off an entertaining State of Play showcase, but a new Days of Play initiative surrounding all the video game showcases this month is bringing a lot of new PS Plus additions with it. Many of those games hit PS Plus this week, and three in particular stand out to us.

For owners of Sony's oft-neglected PlayStation VR2, the first game is one of its rare exclusives that take full advantage of the headset's eye-tracking by seeing how often players blink. The next is a new PS Plus Essential game that's a revival of Sega's classic beat-'em-up series for the modern gaming era. Finally, the last title is an atmospheric and eerie fishing game that should entice fans of Lovecraftian horror.
Before Your Eyes

Gaming

3 first-party Xbox Game Pass games to try this weekend (June 7-9)

Gears 5 Kait Hero Close Up

Microsoft will hold an Xbox Games Showcase and Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Direct. this Sunday. These shows will provide a much better idea of what to expect from Xbox over the course of the next year or two. That's really needed right now, as Microsoft has struggled to keep online discussions around Xbox positive as it went multiplatform with some games, laid off thousands of developers, and outright shut down the developers of Hi-Fi Rush and Redfall. Based on leaks and my personal expectations for the showcase, there are three games you can play on Xbox Game Pass this weekend to prepare for the event.

The first is the latest first-person shooter in a long-running series by id Software that might be getting a medieval-set spinoff. After that, we have the fifth entry in a sci-fi Xbox series that still looks fantastic on Xbox Series X/S even though it came out in 2019. Finally, you can prepare for Avowed with the latest RPG from Obsidian Entertainment, a satirical sci-fi game where player choice is critical.
Doom Eternal