Electronic Arts, more commonly known as EA, is shutting down a AAA game from its catalog for good this October. This means the EA game is going to lose all online services in the next few months. This shutdown is specifically set to happen on October 7, and when it does those that own the game on PS4, Xbox One, and Steam will be unable to access large portions of the game and major features. The single-player content will remain available, but that is it.
Despite the EA game losing all online features, EA is not going to remove it from sale presumably because of the single-player component. That said, whether this will be accompanied by a price adjustment to reflect the gutting of the game, remains to be seen. There probably won’t be able any price judgement, if history is any indicator.
As for the game itself and why online services are being pulled, it is 2013’s Need for Speed Rivals, and EA does not say why online services are being shutdown, but it is presumably because the servers cost far more to maintain than engagement warrants. Suffice to say, many aren’t playing Need for Speed: Rivals in 2025, and EA is surely making next to nothing on the game. Meanwhile, servers are not only expensive, but they also have to be maintained to prevent hacking.
As you would expect, and as it always does, EA hasn’t made a big public statement about the matter. All it did was quietly update its website with word that the game is shutting down on October.
For those unfamiliar with the game, Need for Speed: Rivals released back in 2013 not via series’ developer Criterion Games, but Ghost Games. It was notably the debut title for the latter, and the 20th installment in the long-running racing game series. Upon release, it was received rather favorably, as evident by its range of scores on Metacritic between 75 and 80.
With several Need for Speed games since, Need for Speed Rivals being gutted of online services is not going to bother many Need for Speed fans, but it is still unfortunate news for anyone in the series who wants revisit the series’ past in the future. Further, it is a troubling sign of what is to come newer Need for Speed games in the years ahead.
For more coverage on all things Electronic Arts — including all of the latest EA news, all of the latest EA rumors and leaks, and all of the latest EA deals — click here.
The post EA Shutting Down AAA Game for Good This October appeared first on ComicBook.com.
