NFS 2017 to Feature Offline Single-Player, EA's Ghost Games Reveals

EA-owned Ghost Games has confirmed that a new Need for Speed game will release later this year, with the return of a feature whose omission had infuriated many: the option to play offline.

“You will be able to play through a single player experience completely offline,” the developers said in an official blog post. “Before you ask, and we know you will, this does mean you will be able to pause the game.”

In two previous entries, Need for Speed had become an always-online experience, in a bid to merge the single-player and multiplayer experience. It seems EA is willing to backtrack on that mission, though there’s every chance that you will lose out on some single-player features while you’re offline. We won’t know for sure until EA Play, the company’s E3 off-shoot, rolls around in June.

On the face of it, it’s still a nice acceptance by the studio, after delivering two NFS titles – 2013’s Rivals, and 2015’s eponymous reboot – that essentially held you hostage.

Alongside, Ghost Games also revealed a few other details of their new racing game. For starters, the new NFS will be playable in daylight, as opposed to the 2015 instalment that took place entirely at night/dawn.

Secondly, car customisation will stick around after making a return. “It’s not going away and it will play as strong a role as ever as we move forward into the next game and beyond,” it added.

In addition to that, it will stick with its open-world policy: “Whether you’re checking out your freshly customised ride or smoking the competition in an event up in the canyons, you’re going to want a world that not only looks beautiful, but offers you the space in which to do the things you want.”

And lastly, dirt racing also looks to be a part of NFS 2017. “We’re dialling up the action and allowing you to tear up the tarmac, and dirt, to your heart's content,” Ghost Games said.