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

By Danny Cowan Published May 10, 2016

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.

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“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.”

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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.

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