For better or for worse,EAis renowned for the huge number of gaming franchises that exist under the company’s umbrella. These same IPs are usually defined by their rapid turnaround of annual releases. The breakneck life-cycle of this approach to game development inevitably leads to quite a short shelf life for certain EA titles, with a massive number of EA games being taken offline over the years.
The pace of shutdowns forEAgames is showing no sign of slowing down either, with four more titles tied to the company being slated for shutdowns in October. The shutdowns of many of these titles are quite predictable, belonging to some of the many sports franchises that EA publishes annually. Despite this, the upcoming shutdown of one beloved racing game is more surprising, and it serves as a real disappointment for fans of the genre.
Need For Speed Stands Out Among EA’s October Shutdowns
The usual announcements for EA-related shutdowns usually do not carry the same weight that other game shutdowns across the industry might have. EA is the publisher of definingsports game franchises likeMadden NFL,College Football,EA FC,NHL,UFC, andPGA Tour, many of which pump out annual releases with up-to-date teams and athletes. It would be illogical for EA to maintain the online services of every annual game tied to these IPs over the years, and so these three sports titles are facing the familiar chopping block in October.
These titles are understandably becoming quite dated, with several improved successors already on the market. While fans have come to expect this kind of move from EA, it is easy to see why the additional announcement ofNeed for Speed: Rivals' shutdown on October 7has been met with a bit more shock. Of course,theNeed for Speedfranchisedoes not have the same year-by-year release structure as EA’s sports franchises, giving a much more distinct identity to individual releases likeRivals.
Since the launch ofRivals, theNeed for Speedfranchise has only launched 2019’sHeatand 2022’sUnboundas mainline titles, making for a much smaller overall pool of experiences. It is worth noting thatNeed for Speed: Rivalswas released in 2013, so it’s admittedly dated, but the nostalgic game still has a dedicated community who will face the brunt of this upcoming shutdown.
Not All is Lost For October’s Shutdown EA Games
Theshutdowns for EANHL,Madden,Fifa, andNeed for Speedfranchises in October will mean that players will have no way of accessing any online features that the impacted titles possess. While single-player features will still be available, things like trophies/achievements and multiplayer experiences will be non-existent, withRivalsin particular being renowned for its addictive and engaging online offerings.
The rapid development schedule of EA games has often been criticized over the years, withover 60 EA games facing shutdowns in just the past two years. While fans have come to expect aging sports titles to eventually face shutdowns, titles with more entrenched and distinct communities always sting a little more when they are impacted. The multiplayer services ofNeed for Speed: Rivalscould never stay active forever, but it is hard to see the game’s October shutdown as anything other than a sad development for racing fans.
