We Feel The Need, The Need for Crossplay on "Need for Speed Heat"

Cue Charli XCX’s "Vroom Vroom".

Need for Speed Heat has become the first EA title to offer crossplay, meaning players can now interact across PS4, Xbox One and PC platforms.

The announcement comes from Matt Webster, general manager of Criterion Games, which recently took over the NFS franchise from Ghost Games, the producer of Need for Speed Heat.

According to his blog post, the launch of crossplay will be the last update to Heat before Criterion moves on to another Need for Speed instalment entirely.

"Once you’ve installed the update (see full update notes here, including some other fixes, too), you can opt in to race players across PC, PlayStation4, and Xbox One," he says.

"You can search for your friends who are playing on any of the above systems, given they’ve opted in for cross-play as well, inside the Find Players menu. Then, go to the new EA Friends tab in the Party Menu to see who’s online to play with.

"As we at Criterion shift gears into the future with full focus on developing the next Need for Speed game, this will be the final update for Need for Speed Heat. Since the launch of Need for Speed Heat and as players continue to tear it up in Palm City, we’re listening to what you love about this experience, and what you all believe could be even better. With these insights, we have a terrific foundation to create the most expressive, most socially connected, action-packed game yet for Need for Speed fans and beyond."

Ghost Games has been developing Need for Speed entries since 2013, but was unable to lift the saga back to the heights of its heyday, largely due to the success of Grand Theft Auto V and the continued popularity of Gran Turismo on PS4 and Forza on Xbox One. However, Criterion Games was behind the beloved 2010 entry Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit, so maybe their next effort will be an improvement on the mildly reviewed Heat.

Meanwhile, players of EA Games such as FIFA 20, Jedi Fallen Order, Madden 20, Apex Legends and Anthem eagerly await hearing that they’ll be given cross-play updates too…

Header Image: EA Games