14 DAY TRIAL // EA decided over the weekend to remove all its Need for Speed games from digital stores making them unavailable for purchase. Although we initially thought this might be a temporary situation or a simple mistake on EA's part, it looks like this is something more permanent.
That being said, five Need for Speed titles will no longer be available for purchase starting yesterday: Need for Speed Carbon, Need for Speed Undercover, Need for Speed Shift, Need for Speed Shift 2: Unleashed and Need for Speed The Run.
The good news is those who own any of these older Need for Speed games will still be able to play them going forward. Even though EA didn't warn players of the change, it did issue an official statement on Reddit that confirms the permanent removal of the five games:
“Starting May 31st, 2021, Need for Speed Carbon, Need for Speed Undercover, Need for Speed Shift, Need for Speed Shift 2: Unleashed, and Need for Speed The Run will be removed from digital storefronts and you will no longer be able to purchase them. In-game stores will also be closed from May 31st. This is in preparation for the retirement of the online services for these titles which will happen on August 31st, 2021. Until that date, you will be able to play and race your friends (and rivals) online. From September 1st, 2021 onwards, you can still play the games and use the respective offline features of these titles.”
As mentioned in the statement, the online services attached to these games will no longer be available after August 31, 2021, which means you will still be able to play the games, but you'll be able to access their offline features.
It's obvious that EA decided to retire these games due to the lack of players and the need to refocus its resources to upcoming Need for Speed titles. If you still want to play any of these old Need for Speed titles but don't own them, you can still check them out via the EA Play subscription.
"Decisions to retire games are never made easy, but we are now shifting gears to focus on the future of Need for Speed. The development teams and operational staff have put a lot of time and passion into the development, creation, release, and upkeep of the game over the years, and we love to see you play. But the number of players has come to a point where it's no longer feasible to continue the work."
Keep in mind that you can also get access to most of EA's library of titles for free if you have an Xbox Game Pass subscription.