Criterion May Already Be Working On The Next Need For Speed Game

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A new job listing suggests that developer Criterion Games could be working on a brand-new Need for Speed. The original Need for Speed first raced onto the gaming landscape in the mid-1990s and would soon spawn one of the best street racing franchises of all time with countless sequels, a tie-in Hot Wheels line, and even a live-action film adaptation in 2014. The series would evolve from the simple races of earlier installments to the plus-pounding police chases of more modern entries.

The Need for Speed franchise has also shifted developers several times over the decades, with the first few games being developed by Distinctive Software (which would later be rebranded EA Canada) before Black Box Games was acquired to develop 2002’s Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2. Slightly Mad Studios would take over for the sadly delisted Need for Speed: Shift and its 2011 sequel, while Criterion released Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit and 2012’s Most Wanted to much acclaim. However, a downsizing of Criterion Games’ development staff led to Swedish studio Ghost Games becoming the de-facto Need for Speed developer for most of the 2010s.

Criterion would eventually return to develop last year’s Need for Speed Unbound, and a new report suggests that it might already be revving up its engines for the next entry in the long-running racing franchise. The developer recently posted a job listing for an experienced world artist on LinkedIn, one that is needed to “help [Criterion] on [its] new and exciting endeavor to create an open world offering the player a fast, visceral and authentic experience." The offer also states that Criterion wishes to challenge the conventions of the racing genre to take Need for Speed “to the next level.”

While Criterion’s last Need for Speed was met with mixed reviews, many noted that Need for Speed Unbound’s gameplay and street-art visual esthetic carried enough potential for a promising follow-up. This seems to be a recurring sentiment for the state of the series as a whole over the past few years, as Ghost Games’ various titles have all fallen just short of the acclaim of entries like Hot Pursuit or Most Wanted. Despite the mixed responses to these games, the Need for Speed series has still maintained high sales this decade.

Criterion might be getting ready for another high-octane Need for Speed game if this latest job listing is of any indication. The developer has produced some of the most successful entries in the series, and fans will certainly be eager to see what Criterion games could have waiting under the hood of the next Need for Speed.

Need for Speed Unbound is available on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.