Need for Speed Unbound Skipped PS4 and Xbox One to “Deliver the Best Possible Experience”

"With the new physics system, the new handling, the new effects, and new graphics – I feel like anyone that plays it will totally understand," says Criterion's Kieran Crimmins.

Posted By | On 04th, Dec. 2022

Need for Speed Unbound_02

We’re two years into the current console generation, but even now, the PS4 and Xbox One are continuing to receive significant support from both first and third party developers, with most major (and otherwise) releases launching as cross-gen titles. Some titles, of course, are making the decision to launch exclusively for next-gen hardware, and one of those launched just a couple of days ago with Need for Speed Unbound. 

But why exactly did developer Criterion make that decision for the open world racer? In an interview with Traxion.gg, creative director Kieran Crimmins said that the studio wanted to “deliver the best possible experience”, and as such, decided that developing only for current-gen hardware was the way to go.

“I mean, we wanted to,” he said. “As we were going through it the stuff we could do on current-gen consoles [is] just so much better than what you can do on previous gen. We wanted to double down on it, we wanted to deliver the best possible experience to players that could play it.”

“Playing it all [in] 4k 60 frames a second, HDR is an absolutely transformative racing game experience,” he added. “With the new physics system, the new handling, the new effects and new graphics – I feel like anyone that plays it will totally understand.”

“It’s a shame,” Crimmins said, when asked about whether Criterion hesitated over leaving behind the massive install bases of previous-gen consoles. “I would love to release on everything from you know, your Casio watch to your HDTV. But we want to make the best, you know, we want to make the best possible player experience we can.”

Interestingly, a number of other major EA-published titles are also set to launch exclusively for PC and current-gen consoles, including Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, Dead Spaceand (if reports are to be believed) Dragon Age: Dreadwolf

Need for Speed Unbound is available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.


Amazing Articles You Might Want To Check Out!

Share Your Thoughts Below  (Always follow our comments policy!)



Keep On Reading!

EA Sports FC 25, Astro Bot Were the US’ Bestselling Games in September

EA Sports FC 25, Astro Bot Were the US’ Bestselling Games in September

Other new releases such as The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, and others...

PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Switch All Saw Sharp Year-on-Year Declines in US Sales in September

PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Switch All Saw Sharp Year-on-Year Declines in US Sales in September

Hardware spending in the US fell by 44 percent year-on-year to $251 million, which is the lowest it has been f...

Guilty Gear Strive Balance Update Coming October 31st

Guilty Gear Strive Balance Update Coming October 31st

All 28 characters have received adjustments, from buffs and cancels into other techniques for increased combo ...

Fallout: London Crosses 1 Million Downloads

Fallout: London Crosses 1 Million Downloads

The total conversion for Fallout 4 recently received a massive update, which restores missing dialogue and fix...

The Rogue Prince of Persia is Now Steam Deck Verified

The Rogue Prince of Persia is Now Steam Deck Verified

Evil Empire warns that Steam Deck players "may experience occasional drops in frame rate" in some sections of ...

Guilty Gear Strive – Queen Dizzy Revealed in New Gameplay Trailer

Guilty Gear Strive – Queen Dizzy Revealed in New Gameplay Trailer

Dizzy is available for Season Pass 4 owners on October 31st and remains as potent as ever with freezing, weapo...