When you’ve performed a Want For Velocity recreation within the final decade, odds are you’ve got seen loads of vehicles with Speedhunters stickers slapped someplace amid no matter delightfully cheesy livery their driver’s determined to rock. Now, although, it appears just like the EA-owned automobile tradition web site has gone dormant, with studies claiming it might need been shut down.
This information comes as improvement of NFS at EA is on a hiatuswith devs at Criterion having been drafted in to assist ship the subsequent Battlefield, although exec Vince Zampella has hinted that there are nonetheless plans for the racing collection going forwards.
As reported by The DriveSpeedhunters’ web site hasn’t had any new tales revealed to it since April 3. Hyperlinks to its retailer return an error message, and its Instagram account boasts an ominous black void as a profile photograph.
The Drive studies having heard that Speedhunters would possibly been shut down. We have reached out to EA for remark.
Based in 2008 by Rod ChongSpeedhunters have been backed by EA since “since day one”, with the varied car-related articles and pictures they’ve delivered through the years having been interspersed with loads of NFS protection and promo. As not too long ago as December final 12 months, the positioning had been writing about the particular Most Needed BMW M3 that launched in commemoration of the NFS collection’ thirtieth anniversary, having additionally lined updates to NFS Unbound in 2024.
As I alluded to earlier, Speedhunters has additionally been an everyday presence in NFS video games themselves through these ubiquitous stickers. Considered one of its journalists, Dino Dalle Carbonare, even made a cameo in completely forgettable cell recreation NFS: No Limits.
In a Reddit remark responding to chatter about Speedhunters’ unclear state of affairs, former contributor Paddy McGrath wrote the next:
I have never been concerned in any significant manner with the positioning over the previous few years (though my title continues to be listed as a contributor). I did have the intention of submitting tales once I might sooner or later, however that does not appear to be it will be doable anymore.
FWIW, there have been so many instances that Speedhunters was circling the drain over the past decade. We hardly ever knew forward of time if our contracts can be renewed annually. Quite a lot of good and devoted folks put a whole lot of work in to maintain issues going so long as it did.
As you would possibly know, Speedhunters was based and supported by EA from day one. It would not have existed with out them. Nevertheless, Speedhunters was such a small mission in an in any other case large firm that it was by no means going to get the eye & assets it wanted to develop, IMO. Why would they spend time on a web site promoting some merchandise once they have a number of billion greenback online game manufacturers to are inclined to?
As time handed, and the unique EA folks concerned within the creation of Speedhunters moved onto different issues, it grew to become increasingly troublesome to maintain the mission afloat. I knew today was inevitable, so made the choice years in the past to diversify my shopper base and take all of my eggs out of the Speedhunters basket. I’m genuinely unhappy that this does appear to be the tip for it, it deserved so a lot better.
Here is hoping Speedhunters hasn’t executed its final set of doughnuts in entrance of some costly cameras.
