Need for Speed Unbound has been around for a few days and was met with plenty of excitement from the gaming committee, except for PS4 and Xbox One owners. They never had the chance to experience the latest Need for Speed title because it skipped these platforms. Meanwhile, these consoles are not done yet and still get most of the AAA games. So, why Need for Speed Unbound, which debuted for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S, skipped last-gen consoles? A lead developer for Need for Speed Unbound explains.
Why Need for Speed Unbound Skipped PS4 and Xbox One?
Need for Speed Unbound is a 2022 racing video game developed by Criterion Games and published by Electronic Arts in the past few days for PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X|S. It is the twenty-fifth installment in the Need for Speed series, the first for Criterion since 2013’s Rivals with Ghost Games, and the first as the main developer since 2012’s Most Wanted. First impressions of the newest racing game are pretty positive, but PS4 and Xbox One owners are wondering why Criterion skipped their consoles.
A lead developer for Need for Speed Unbound clarified the question of why the developer studio didn’t bring the game to last-gen consoles. Criterion planned to release Need for Speed Unbound to PS4 and Xbox One early in the game’s development process, Criterion Games creative director Kieran Crimmins says. But at one point, the developer made the quite difficult decision to focus more on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. Furthermore, they believe that critical decisions like these made during the game’s development process could positively affect the future of the Need for Speed series.
