We’ve all grown up with the words ‘Need For Speed’, but it seems like the gaming franchise is set to be destined for history books. 

The developers of Need For Speed, Criterion Games, are celebrating their 30th anniversary and recently hosted an event for the same. However, while speaking to the media, Rebecka Coutaz, the VP & GM of Battlefield Studios Europe, insisted that Battlefield is the future of the studio moving forward. 

“We’re not here to talk about the past," Coutaz told reporters as per IGN.

Based on the IGN report, there were references to the NFS franchise, including montages of cars speeding from various titles over the years, along with an NFS arcade gaming setup. However, Coutaz’s sentiments were reinforced by the logo that was unveiled nearly a year ago, which says, “Criterion: a Battlefield Studio.” 

On being asked if there could be other projects other than Battlefield, Coutaz simply said, “We are solely focused on Battlefield.”

Criterion Games began life as a subsidiary of Canon Inc. in 1993, before it was sold to Electronic Arts in 2004. The studio’s first NFS release would come out in 2010, titled Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit.

Criterion then also revisited one of its most famous titles, with the launch of the 2012 Need For Speed: Most Wanted, which was far different from its original namesake. 

Interestingly, in 2025, a report from Tech4Gamers also confirmed that the Speedhunters website had been taken down due to a massive restructuring at EA after financial losses. Speedhunters was a platform dedicated to automotive culture and photography, which was owned and backed by EA. 

What made Need For Speed different from other titles? 

The earlier NFS titles were relatively simpler. However, when EA Black Box took over development responsibilities, it kicked off an era of storylines. NFS Underground was the first to feature a storyline where the player would race in Olympic City, building a reputation in order to become the best underground driver in the city, helped by their ally, Samantha. 

Its sequel, NFS Underground 2, followed a similar approach, this time helped by a different ally, Rachel Teller, who was played by Brooke Burke. Predominantly featuring night-time races, both games took inspiration from earlier Fast and Furious titles, also featuring cars such as the Mazda RX-7, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VIII, Nissan Skyline GT-R, Ford Mustang, and so on. 

Underground 2 was also unique in featuring SUVs such as the Hummer H2, Lincoln Navigator, and the Cadillac Escalade. 

Then came along the famous Most Wanted, which brought back the element of daytime racing and police evasion. Featuring Josie Maran as Mia Townsend, she helps the player climb up the Blacklist to help them regain their stolen BMW M3, while simultaneously eradicating street racing from Rockport by arresting Blacklist members. 

Criterion’s NFS titles were vastly different from its EA Black Box predecessors, focusing more on open-world gaming rather than storylines. The 2012 Most Wanted was well known for featuring some of the most exotic cars, which would be unlocked via discovery in various hidden spots. 

Who else remembers Cross’s ‘EVERYONE’ scream referencing Gary Oldman? 

Read more at Motor Culture 

Written by

Aaradhya Singh