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The Need For Speed series celebrated it's 30th anniversary this year, which is an extreme accomplishment in any entertainment industry. Since 1994, the series has changed in several ways. Between innovating new gameplay, fine tuning the controls, and adding memorable vehicles to drive, NFS has seen a lot of changes while staying true to its core fanbase. And it's all of these improvements that help the franchise stay relevant across numerous generations of gaming systems.
Need For Speed Devs Discuss The Challenge of developing a New NFS Game
In a recent Need For Speed developer roundtable, several developers of the series discussed some of the biggest challenges they've faced in developing new titles for the series.
“I think today the biggest challenge is literally the age of the franchise,” says Patrick Honnoraty, Producer. “It [The series] has been so many different things and appeals to so many different people. We even see the debates between players on which is the best game and why is it the best game.”
Truer words have never been spoken about the series as a whole. If you think Need For Speed survived 30 years in the industry by “just being a racing game”, you'd be mistaken. From Underground to Most Wanted to Unbound, the series has taken a lot of twists and turns to get where it is now.
“Need for Speed means many different things to many people,” Honnoraty continued. “People carry with them, the feeling that hey had when they played those games.
In every game franchise there's always a debate amongst fans which one is the best. And because of that, it becomes harder for developers to make games that can please fans of all games. That debate grows longer with each new innovation.
For example, fans might love the original Hot Pursuit Mode from Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit. Or, others might like the crew system Need For Speed: Carbon. Each player will always have those one or two games from the series that they'll always prefer the most.
“If you try to make something for everyone,” says Justin Wiebe, who's been working on the series since 2002, “What you wind up doing is watering it down and making something for nobody.” When working on a new title, Wiebe says it's important to focus on one component and “take it to the next level”. Of course, that's not an easy area to tackle, but the team has made the right choices so far.
For now, that seems like the best approach to take. Instead of trying to appease to a larger fanbase, it's better to strengthen the series' strengths. That's why the series has been around for this long.
So despite the challenges of the series' age, the developers have still found ways to innovate and keep the series fresh. Unbound alone has had 9 volumes, all of which offer new content. When it comes to innovation and content, Criterion has done a pretty good job of creating new experiences while remaining true to the series' core fans. We look forward to what Criterion has planned next.
In other news, learn more about Need for Speed (NFS) Volume 9 Lockdown. It adds a ton of new content, and even a motorcycle!
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