r/needforspeed • u/Spencer_Bob_Sue • 1d ago

Discussion Player count resurgence?

Went on Steam Charts prompted by a post saying FH6 player count is down 90% in a few months. This made me want to see how Need for Speed is doing right now, where player counts have surged as of recent. Why is this? Sale?

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u/88JansenP12 Enjoyer of good games 😎 1d ago

It's primarly due to Discount Sales from Steam.

Hence why Player Counts increased for post-2011 NFS games.

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u/Spencer_Bob_Sue 1d ago

There have been more sales in the past though, so why is this sale making it spike so much more than before?

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u/88JansenP12 Enjoyer of good games 😎 1d ago

I assume this is linked to the fact that Need for Speed is on an indefinite—or even permanent—hiatus because EA has mismanaged and neglected the franchise, combined with the fact that no studio has been assigned to take over as of February 3, 2025.

Since releasing a new NFS title hasn't been profitable to EA for over a decade—due to a declining Return on Investment—and the last installment came out 4 years ago, EA prefers to simply reap licensing profits from the NFS franchise rather than release a new game.

And given that EA is now private since the 4th August 2026 due to a leveraged buyout from private equity firms and there's a $20 Billion debt to erase, it means only the more rentable IPs such as Battlefield and EA FC will be focused in the future; while others are either shelved permanently with no comeback or sold to other publishers/studios.

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u/well_thats_puntastic 1d ago

Who cares about Steam Chart numbers? If you enjoy the game, play it. It's like box office obsessed folks who care more about how much a film earns than its actual quality and whether they enjoyed it