Need for Speed Heat: Crossplay to Be Added in Game's Final Update, First EA Game to Do So

EA and Criterion Games have announced that Need for Speed Heat will become the first EA game to feature cross-play. Criterion Games General Manager Matt Webster posted a letter on EA's official site explaining that, after an update coming to the game on June 9, Need for Speed Heat will be the first EA title ever to feature cross-play across PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. Webster said this update will also be the game's last as the team is working on the next title in franchise. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/10/15/need-for-speed-heat-13-minutes-of-4k-gameplay"] "So we're thrilled to let you all know that on June 9, Need for Speed Heat will be the first EA title to offer cross-play, meaning that players — regardless of their platform — can jump into Palm City together as one, united community," Webster said. "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." Webster said that since the launch of the game last year, the team has been listening to what players love about the game and what they believe could make it better, all in an effort to create "the most expressive, most socially connected, action-packed game yet for Need for Speed fans and beyond." He said to keep an eye out at EA Play Live on June 18 for additional Need for Speed announcements. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/12/17/need-for-speed-heat-accolades-trailer"] After installing the update, players will need to opt-in to cross-play. After doing that, players can search for friends that have also opted-in to cross-play on any system inside the Find Players menu. After becoming friends, players can use the new EA Friends tab in the Party menu to see who is online and ready to play. Need for Speed Heat was recently added to Steam with other EA titles and the game will be added to EA Access and Origin Access Basic Vault on June 16. We thought Criterion's latest crack at the series was great and you can read about why in our Need for Speed Heat review. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.