Blogger Dino Dalle Carbonare presented a new video in which he reported that EA had closed the Speedhunters initiative. Since 2008, it has helped studios collect information about global automotive culture.
He said that in April 2025, they were ordered to stop working — a decision by Electronic Arts, without explanation. The team received no explanation and continued on their own, joining together in a new project called Turnpike.
By closing Speedhunters, EA made it clear that it no longer intends to monitor the automotive environment, knowledge of which was used in the creation of games. Given that Need for Speed is on "pause," we shouldn't expect a new race from the company anytime soon.
In addition, Criterion is now officially described as a "Battlefield Studio." Its main page only mentions work on the sixth installment of the series, without mentioning experience in arcade racing. Information about these games can only be found on a separate tab.
By positioning Criterion as a team entirely dedicated to Battlefield, EA clearly shows that the studio has completely switched to this brand. This seems logical if the company's strategy involves annual releases or at least the release of major content for the series.