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EA to remove older Need for Speed games from online stores
EA has announced it is removing several older Need for Speed games from digital storefronts and shutting off their online services.
Community manager Max Myrus made the announcement in a Reddit post on 31 May, the same day the process was set to start.
“Decisions to retire games are never made easy, but we are now shifting gears to focus on the future of Need for Speed,” he wrote.
What Need for Speed games is EA shuttering?
EA plans to shut down Need for Speed: Carbon, Shift, Undercover, Shift 2: Unleashed, and The Run starting from 31 May.
Need for Speed: Carbon is the oldest of the games having been released in 2006. Need for Speed: The Run was released in 2011.
The games will not be available for purchase on any digital storefronts such as Steam and EA’s own storefront, Origin.
While gamers will still be able to play their game copies, they will not be able to use the in-game economies such as use currency to buy vehicles, parts, and accessories.
However, gamers will still have access to online services such as matchmaking and leaderboards until 31 August. After that, the games will be single-player only.
“The development teams and operational staff have put a lot of time and passion into the development, creation, release, and upkeep of the game over the years, and we love to see you play,” Myrus explained.
“But the number of players has come to a point where it’s no longer feasible to continue the work behind the scenes required to keep Need for Speed Carbon, Need for Speed Undercover, Need for Speed Shift, Need for Speed Shift 2: Unleashed and Need for Speed The Run up and running.”
Other Need for Speed games that gamers can still buy and play are Need for Speed: Rivals, Payback, Most Wanted (2012), Hot Pursuit Remastered, and Need for Speed (2015).
In early 2020, the development of new Need for Speed games was handed back to Criterion Games who published Hot Pursuit Remastered later that same year.
Feature image: EA Black Box
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