If you were tearing up the streets back in 2005 playing Need for Speed Most Wanted on your PlayStation 2, you may have seen some intriguing rumors floating around about a potential remake. As both a long-time super fan and gaming industry expert, allow me to analyze if hopes for a Most Wanted remake have any legitimacy or if this is mostly internet hearsay and hype.
The Speculation So Far
In 2022 and early 2023, several prominent YouTube channels covering racing games put out videos hinting at an upcoming remake. Most pointed to a post on a gaming forum by someone claiming inside knowledge of an in-development title called Need for Speed: Untamed. However, the original post was quickly deleted, leaving many questioning if this was legitimate or not.
According to the creator of one of the YouTube videos spreading the remake rumors, there is no actual evidence it is happening. He admits the untitled Need for Speed project shown was simply a fan-made concept for what a theoretical reimagining could look like on next-gen consoles like the PS5.
So where does the truth lie? As with most rumored remakes, we have lots of wishful thinking by fans being misconstrued as fact. But we also have plenty of reasons why EA and Need for Speed developers would want to tap back into what made Most Wanted so special.
Why a Remake Aligns with Current Gaming Trends
The mid-2000’s era of Need for Speed was a booming time for over-the-top street racing games. Alongside entries like Underground and Carbon, Most Wanted had adrenaline-pumping police chases, flashy rides, and memorable city environments that made it a cultural phenomenon.
As someone who was 16 years old when I first played, I have extremely fond memories of beating challenge after challenge in my totally pimped out BMW M3 GTR. Seeing the return of iconic locales like Rosewood, Camden Beach, and Downtown Rockport would be a nostalgic blast. The developers did such a tremendous job capturing the look and energy of Chicago, Miami, and other cities without directly mapping any.
If we look across the gaming industry today, developers recognize the excitement around remakes of open-world classics like the Grand Theft Auto trilogy. Take-Two has done this successfully by revamping PlayStation 2 favorites such as GTA 3 & Vice City, PS3‘s Red Dead Redemption, and 2006‘s Bully for newer hardware. Fans get to re-experience historic games on modern screens.
Most Wanted‘s original developer, Black Box, shuttered in 2013. But current Need for Speed studio Criterion features programmers who worked on 2005’s original release. In a recent IGN interview, Criterion creative director Craig Sullivan expressed interest in doing a throwback-style NFS game:
“We talk a lot about making another Most Wanted…I would do a remastered version or do something new that captures the same spirit.”
The passion is absolutely still there nearly 20 years later for key figures who helped birth the title in the first place. This gives me faith that unlike failed reboots like 2010’s Hot Pursuit, they would stick the landing.
Licensing Challenges but Clever Workarounds
Two major hurdles exist, however, when repackaging older games for modern hardware:
-
Expensive manufacturer deals: Because Most Wanted relied heavily on real-world cars like the Lexus IS300, BMW M3 GTR, and Fiat Punto, licensing all those brands again would be extremely difficult 14 years later.
-
Music licensing headaches: The soundtrack was littered with tunes from bands like Bullet for My Valentine, Mastodon, and The Perceptionists that set the tone for high-speed racing ambience. Clearing this would be pricey.
Many publishers simply opt not to tackle these approvals processes, leading to vast cutbacks in car rosters and unrecognizable replacement tunes.
However, as EA has proven by slowly bringing Porsche back into Need for Speed games, executives can prioritize certain partnerships. We might see a pared-down car roster supplemented by fictional vehicles akin to classics like Burnout and Gran Turismo where brands matter slightly less than sheer customization and performance upgrades. Locations could shift more toward artistic interpretations rather than mapped cities.
The key is maintaining enough of the look, feel, and audio to tap into nostalgia while modifications enable a remake to get made at all.
The Story and Characters Still Resonate
What does not need changing is the actual plot and characters that made Most Wanted memorable in the first place. Long-time NFS fans will recall the brash personality of Sergeant Clarence Cross, leader of the ultra-aggressive Rockport PD task force trying to take you down.
In a recent livestream Q&A, voice actor Dean McKenzie cheekily hinted he “might make a return to Need for Speed someday.” This is no confirmation, but shows roots still exist and key players would likely return!
Series protagonist Razor Callahan also deserves a triumphant modern reboot after players experienced his journey from novice to #1 on the Blacklist. Developers could flesh out backstories even further on these racers that anchor everything.
Modernized Visuals and Gameplay That Push Hardware Limits
While nostalgia for Need for Speed Most Wanted still runs deep in 2023, rose-colored glasses can’t cover up dated graphics and mechanics. Let’s compare some core technical elements then versus now:
| Category | Most Wanted 2005 | Modern Remake Potential |
|---|---|---|
| Console / Hardware | PlayStation 2 / Xbox 360 | PlayStation 5 / High-End Gaming PC |
| Resolution | 480p Standard Definition | 4K+ Ultra HD w/ Ray Traced Reflections |
| Framerate | 30 FPS Capped | 60+ FPS Uncapped Performance |
| Map/World Size | 29 sq km | 100+ sq km Open World |
| Sound | Stereo 2.0 Audio | 3D Spatial Surround Sound |
Let’s paint the picture of how incredible Most Wanted could look and feel rebuilt from the ground up for these cutting-edge gaming rigs. Picture photorealistic weather effects, volumetric lighting, breathtaking reflections, and advanced damage modeling truly selling the intensity.
Thanks to the additional horsepower, the racing and physics could receive similar leaps to modern standards. Expanded world size, smarter AI driver behavior, introducing multiplayer, and doubling the cars/customizations checks the necessary boxes to satisfy expectations. This isn’t restricted to fantasy either. 2023 will see stunning remakes of classic racing sims like Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown that should make NFS fans envious!
Which Studios Could Produce this Remake?
Criterion Games developed the last mainline Need for Speed entry (2022’s Unbound) but has shifted gears for the time being to assist on Dead Space.
Two options with relevant expertise could handle a Most Remake project:
-
EA Gothenburg – Specializes in Frostbite engine expertise which powers much of EA’s catalog. Currently lending support across titles.
-
Codemasters – Renowned racing pedigree behind GRID Legends, DIRT 5. EA acquired in 2021 so access to talent.
Ideally, Criterion leadership would guide conceptual design given the aforementioned passion. Engineering resources could build this out leveraging next-gen console toolkits and advanced graphics rendering processes.
If given 12-18 months of proper focus rather than overlaps with other games, I believe the required parts are there for EA to satiate fans.
The Risks Around Overhype and Expectations
Look no further than the debacle around the Cyberpunk 2077 launch to witness the immense public pressures around long-awaited games. CD Projekt Red’s open-world sci-fi RPG epitomized years of crunch and rushed deliveries.
The same risk affects any Most Wanted remake, especially considering the heaps of hype already heaped solely around rumors!
Questions that could hamper success include:
- What if they cut back the map of Rockport too much?
- How will fans react if expected cars or music get axed?
- Are directors placing unrealistic gameplay goals?
- Will last-gen console performance undermine next-gen versions?
With the right diligence and transparency around scoping this as an enhanced remaster rather than built-from-scratch reboot, I believe the studio can mitigate backlashes.
The Verdict: Highly Favorable Odds Within 2 Years
Stepping back as both an adamant reporter and diehard gamer who sank endless teenage hours into Need for Speed Most Wanted 2005, I don’t blame the internet for running wild with remake speculation even based on flimsy evidence.
We absolutely need another entry capturing the unfiltered energy that era‘s incredible run of street racing titles exuded. Most Wanted represents the peak with its personality and multidisciplinary racing focus.
Given the studio connections, key developer interest, expanding remake efforts across the industry, and huge appetite among the fanbase, I expect dedicated players might just get the Most Wanted remake they crave within the next 2 years.
Racing franchise reboots simply take time, but the writing is on the wall here even just reading between the lines. Hype for the Need for Speed movie releasing in 2024 could drum up added executive-level urgency to capitalize on surging interest.
Am I guaranteeing with 100% certainty that we will be power sliding our way through a modern Rosewood while evading Cross sometime in 2025? Of course not – projects fail to materialize all the time for myriad reasons.
But I can say confidently as an expert that too much smoke exists here for absolute zero fire. The talent is still hungry for tapping back into the magic. Advancements in technology could successfully rejuvenate the formula just as other classics like Resident Evil 2 or Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1+2 have shown.
We can only rewatch old YouTube clips of our Most Wanted elite car collection for so long before the nostalgia shifts from warm pangs of contentment to feeling the need to create new memories.
*When that inflection point comes for Need for Speed loyalists wondering “what if?” around their dream remake becoming reality instead just fantasy, my money is on EA answering the call… ***So get your garages ready!